The Divergent Games
by Annabella Matthews
Summary: The five factions were formed to put an end to war and battles. Then another problem arose: the Divergent. They were uncontrollable. The Erudite had no choice but to start the Divergent Games. Every year, the Divergent are sent to battle to the death. This year, it's Emilia Wilson's turn to Choose. She finds out that everything isn't what it seems to be.
1. Prologue

The five factions were formed to put an end to war and battles. The monster "outside the fence" had been demolished. All was fine. The Erudite especially were pleased with their work. They had helped organize the army to defeat those outside the fence, and now, their society was living in peace again. Then, another problem arose from the middle of nowhere.

They were known as the Divergent.

Their very existence sent the Erudite sprawling for ways to control them. It wasn't until a few years ago, the Erudite leader decided to eliminate their very existence. There were too many of them and too many for them to handle. He continued on teaching to the next Erudite leader in line who quickly grasped his knowledge and led on what was known as the yearly entertainment, the Divergent Games.

Each year, as the sixteen year olds took their aptitude tests, an Erudite would be sent to watch their tests. That way, no Divergent would be able to escape by a simple change in test results. No one was brave enough to change the test results; not even the Dauntless. It could result in punishment that could end in death.

The very same year, those sixteen year olds who were Divergent were thrown into an arena to fight to the death. The winning Divergent, the victor, the last one standing, would be returned to their home faction. They would be watched closely for the next few years, but they would allowed to live. However, because they were allowed to live, whichever Divergent came next from their faction, they would have to be mentors, helping the next Divergent go through the process of the Games. But almost every victor ended dead before the Choosing Ceremony.

Now, the Divergent Games are run by none other than the Erudite leader. She has hatred against Divergent and no one knows why. She claims they ruin the factions by not following the rules and resisting any attempt of fitting in. She says that they must all die. She makes the Games more vicious each year, doing her very best to eliminate all Divergent.

It's time for the Divergent Games to begin.


	2. Chapter 1: The Aptitude Test

It's that time of year again. The Choosing Ceremony and all the aptitude test buzz. Except this year, I'm going to be taking the test. I already pretty much know what faction I'll be choosing. The same as my mother's: Erudite. I'm smart and I'm already pretty much guaranteed the spot of becoming Erudite leader. Besides, if I did choose another faction, I have my doubts on passing initiation. After all, I'm smart, but I'm not brave, kind, selfless or honest. Especially not selfless.

I hear rumours of people, people in my year, worried about getting the result "Divergent". No one likes that result. It guarantees you a spot in the Divergent Games, and the Games are no joke. Most of them, even though they know saying that they are Divergent could result in punishment, say it, so their friends can comfort them. I'm sure I'm not Divergent. My mother isn't and so how could I be?

I'm waiting in the cafeteria; waiting for my name to be called. I don't know which Erudite I'll be having to supervise my aptitude test, but I hope it's a familiar face. People who I don't know watching over my shoulder would be strange.

I sit up straight as the Erudite around me babble about things I couldn't care less about. I see from the corner of my eye, Dauntless guarding the doors in case any Divergent try running away. It has never happened, but it could. I see some other Erudite, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of Divergent. It's a lot of security, but I agree with my mother. Divergence does not have a place in society. They just wreck our society to pieces.

"Hey, Emma," says a boy beside me. He nods at me stiffly. "Are you choosing Erudite?"

I don't know who this boy talking to me is. Everyone seems to know me because of my mother, but I just don't know them back. Still, to be polite, I answer.

"Yes," I say, slightly annoyed. "What other faction would I choose?"

The boy shrugs. "I don't know," He says. "Maybe Dauntless? Or Amity?"

I purse my lips. My "Divergent" alarm goes off. If he thinks of choosing another faction, he may be Divergent. I'm only saying that because for the past few years, the amount of transfers have decreased. Mainly because people were afraid that if they transferred, they would be watched carefully because Divergent could fit into other factions. So it's not entirely true that the boy may be Divergent, but I know I will be keeping an eye on him.

"That's nice," I say curtly, "but can we keep this Divergent talk to a minimum?"

He seems to have noticed what he has said wrong, and keeps his mouth shut. That will do some good for him. But now, _I_ have my doubts. I knew I was Erudite from the start, but now thinking about it, I don't know how smart I really am. Am I actually smart? I don't know. Compared to my mother, no, but how about compared to others? Maybe? Yes? Maybe I'm not fit for Erudite.

I shake those thoughts away as I smooth my shirt. No, I am fit for Erudite. I was born into this faction. I can serve it. I watch as others are called up. I watch as the boy beside me is called up. He looks nervous. I can literally feel his nervousness. I have to hide this nervousness he hasn't hid well.

The Erudite leader strides in, her posture high. Her eyes sweep the room before she enters one of the testing rooms. They must have found a Divergent. I see the whole room tense up as she walks out, a crying girl beside her. The girl is Amity — I can tell by her red and yellow clothes.

I have seen many Divergent cry on their way into my mother's office. But I never have seen them cry when the walk out. It feels worse on this end and I actually feel bad for the girl. But I quickly tell myself she's Divergent and look away from her. When I hear her sobs fading away, I look back. The Erudite leader's eyes are on me now. She doesn't speak but when an Erudite taps her on the shoulder she heads into another room. Another Divergent. How many could there be?

On normal occasion there are about two to five Divergent. But if in the beginning we have already found two Divergent, that could mean this year we could have a lot more Divergent. That's not good.

"Emilia Wilson," calls the Erudite woman.

I quickly scurry up, accidentally banging into the table. I wince slightly, trying to cover it up. I see some Erudite sniggering from behind me but I ignore it and follow the woman as she nods at a door. I open the door to see an Abnegation woman. She looks like every typical Abnegation. I'm surprised I got an Abnegation because of the amount of Abnegation in our community. Most Divergent are from Abnegation and so there are very few people who choose that faction nowadays. Not only that but the rare few transfers come from that faction. A long time ago, Abnegation used to be the faction with the least transfers. Now, it's the most. It's a faction I have been raised to hate since birth.

Mirrors are all over the walls. There is a reclining chair in the center of the room. I see a Dauntless standing in the corner. I'm surprised because usually Erudite are the ones to observe aptitude tests. That must mean my mother doesn't think there really is a point on wasting an Erudite on me. She knows I'm not Divergent. I look at the Dauntless. I recognize him. We used to hang out all the time when he was an Erudite. He was three years older than me, but that never separated us. Now he's a Dauntless leader if I remember correctly.

"Get comfortable," says the Abnegation woman. She's young. She probably is about twenty years old or so. She smiles as I sit down nervously. "Don't worry, nothing here will hurt you." She starts to busy herself with the machine. I watch, awed.

"My name is Leanna." She adds.

Leanna presses an electrode to my forehead. She looks solemn now as she pressed another electrode to her head. She does something which I don't see because I'm busy regarding the Dauntless. Those years I haven't spoken to him have made me forget his name. I don't remember him, but it's so strange because we were so close those few years.

I look away from him as Leanna passes me a vial. Inside is clear liquid. I feel nervous. I know I should trust her; the aptitude tests have been running for years and years. But I don't know if I can. Abnegation and Erudite are enemies. I don't know if this is part of the test or if she's just trying to poison me.

"Drink it," she says when I make no move to drink it.

I hesitate. "But —"

"Trust me," Her voice is lower now. "Just drink it."

My hands shaking, I tilt the vial as the liquid content tips into my mouth. Immediately, my eyes close until I'm surrounded by darkness.

* * *

When my eyes open I find myself elsewhere. It's strange because I was certain a few seconds ago I was in the testing room. I turn and see a table in front of me. There are two baskets on the table. One basket has a hunk of cheese and one basket has a knife. I stare at them for a few seconds, unsure what to do.

"Choose," says a familiar voice.

I'm almost relaxed but then I remember this isn't real. This is a simulation, the thing my mother makes. I'm still in a test. I look at my options. I don't feel like moving to get either. And holding a knife doesn't feel safe right now. I glance, looking back and forth from each object. Which one?

"Choose!" repeats the woman's voice, this time harsher.

"I can't!" I say, looking back and forth quickly, panic building up.

I know deep inside that this isn't real but it feels and seems so real I almost forget. The tone in the voice is scary, and when I actually spoke to that person, rarely did she scream at me like that.

"Then you won't get a choice," says the woman and the table with the basket fades away.

I stand in the middle of the room as the door creaks open. I turn to see who it is. I see myself facing a dog. It's growling at me like I did something wrong. I want to run but I'm not very athletic. The dog would catch up to me in a few seconds. I wish I had chosen faster. I know I'm indecisive but I never thought it would impact me. Now I was about to die. In a simulation. It was just horrifying.

"Good doggy?" I say, my voice going up.

The dog barks and I cover my ears. Why does it have to be so loud? I remember trying to ask my mother for a dog once. We Erudite don't have dogs because they're useless. But still, I wish I had one so I would know what to do in this situation. Then I remember: I do know. I read a book on dogs because I thought my mother would get me a dog after seeing how good I was with them.

I kneel down and pretend I'm a dog. I then lean on my elbows. I look at the ground, nervous to look up in case I accidentally make eye contact. Then I feel it licking me. I smile, hoping that means it's okay with me and I get up, patting its head. It's cute when it's not growling. I don't see why I can't get a dog. They're cute and amazing.

"I'm going to name you Johnny," I say, grinning.

I almost want to play with the dog until I remember that I'm in a test. I get up slowly and just as I'm about to do something with the dog, a girl's voice from behind me shouts, "Doggy!"

I turn to see a young girl running at the dog. The dog growls again and it looks like it's about to rip the girl into pieces. I don't think; I just act. I run at the girl and bring her down. Without thinking I turn at the dog who is jumping at us. Despite how cute it was a minute ago, I jump at it, taking it down with me. I grit my teeth to keep from screaming as its teeth sink into my skin. When I hit the ground, I black out.

* * *

When I wake up, I'm shaking uncontrollably. I can still feel the dog, tearing at my skin. From the way Leanna's mouth is wide open, I can tell either she's shocked from my choices or she's just new to the whole administrating thing.

"Give…give me a moment to process this," she says weakly.

She turns away from me, but from the way she seems to be breathing ragged, I can tell there's something wrong. The Dauntless, whatever his name is, looks at me with a look. I can't tell what it is. Is it bewilderment, pity, anger or all three? He seems to be debating over something before he heads out, shaking just as hard as Leanna. When he leaves, Leanna turns to me, her face pale.

"What's wrong?" I ask, sitting up. "Did I mess up the test? Did I fail?"

"You can't _fail_," Leanna says miserably. She sounds like she wanted me to fail. Why? "But in your case, you might as well wish you have."

"Wait, what?" I ask, leaning forward. "Leanna, tell me what's wrong. Now."

I think I see tears threatening to spill out from Leanna's eyes. I don't know why. She just wipes the tears as she turns away from me. I'm not sure why she's so upset. Is it because I got Erudite and she thinks transferring is bad and so she stayed in Abnegation but she an Erudite wannabe? I'm very confused. It's a horrible guess but I can't think of any other explanation.

"Your results were inconclusive," Leanna says, turning back to me. Her eyes are red. "Emilia, that means —"

The doors suddenly open, colliding with the walls as they do. My stomach sinks as I see the Erudite leader walk in, flanked with Erudite around her. Her eyes are hard as she focuses on me. Then I know.

I'm Divergent.


	3. Chapter 2: I Am Divergent

In front of me stands the Erudite leader, her eyes fixed on me through her glasses. Everyone clears out of the room, including Leanna who gives me a sad look before hurrying out. The door slams shut, leaving me with the leader of Erudite who looks murderous.

"What I don't understand is how any child of mine could be Divergent." She says slowly. I look at the floor, face red. "You've betrayed me, Emilia. You're Divergence makes me look like a hypocrite."

"But I'm not —" I start.

"I don't want to hear any of it." My mother says, silencing me. "This year we have a new record of nine Divergent, and now you, ten." Her eyes pierce into mine.

"I will say what I say to every single Divergent I have ever met. You will go to the Choosing Ceremony as per usual. You will not line up with your fellow classmates, but instead, beside Connor. Then, at the end you know what happens." She pauses. "Head out through the back doors. Don't let anyone see you. I don't think I can live with this. A Divergent, under my roof." She looks away from me.

I feel like I'm about to cry, but I hold it in. I'm not going to look weak. But my mother literally just said she thought I was something horrible in society. I take a deep breath and ask, "Who is Connor?"

My mother sends a glare my way. "Stop stalling, Emilia, and get going. Now. I don't want to see you."

I really don't know who Connor is but I hurry out anyways because once my mother's mad, it's not something anyone wants to stick around for. As I head out from the back doors, Leanna stops me in my tracks. She grabs me and quickly pulls me to a corner before letting go of me.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

I nod stiffly. "Yes," I say. "It's nothing…just a talk."

"Don't play dumb with me," Leanna says, her frown deepening. "I know you're Divergent and…you're in the Games now." She takes a shaky breath. "I wished I did something earlier."

I glance around nervously. Saying things like that could result in punishment.

"Leanna, helping me is against the rules." I say, unsure what else to really say to her. "You can't erase my result or change it. That Dauntless was standing over your shoulder, watching. And besides, you'd be punished for it."

"You're too young," Leanna says, her eyes drooping. "All of you Divergent are."

I don't know what to say. One wrong word and I'll be punished even more, and possibly, so would Leanna. So I don't say anything and just pretend I don't see her tears falling as she wipes them away. Sixteen is technically young, in a way. We have just started becoming adults.

"There's nothing you can do," I say. "It's over. But…I have a question." I take a shaky breath, unsure what to say next. "What were my results?"

Leanna smiles a bit. "You're powerful, a really powerful girl and Divergent." She replies. "You got a total of three factions. Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless.

"What?" My voice drops low. "That's impossible. It literally is impossible to get more than two."

"Not if you refuse to choose," Leanna says, smiling fully. "It's possible."

I stare at my hands. I got Dauntless and Abnegation? I'm not brave. Or selfless. I'm smart. That's all. But my results proved otherwise. I'm brave, selfless and smart. I'm Divergent. I'm different. That difference may cost me my life. I nod, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my blue clothes. I don't fit into one faction; I fit into many. That's what Divergent is all about, isn't it?

"I'll see you at the Choosing Ceremony. I hope." I say and turn away.

"Hey, Emilia?" Leanna suddenly says.

I turn back to see a small smile on Leanna's face.

"I have complete faith in you that you will do fine," She says.

I don't know what to say. I don't even know if this is just Abnegation, being selfless, or what. But something makes me think that she's not just saying the words. Maybe it's her smile. Maybe it's her tone. But something about her gives me hope; hope that I might make it out of the Games alive.

"Yeah," I say, stunned. "Thanks…I think."

Leanna's smile fades as she sees some Erudite coming our way. She looks at me in the eyes.

"You're like your father, you know," she says quietly. "He was always a strong man."

"He's dead." I say thickly.

There's a knot in my stomach. Never has anyone compared me to my father before. My mother doesn't mention him. Not to mention, Leanna is young. She seems too young to know who my father was.

Leanna just nods. "I know," she says. "I used to know him. He was a great Abnegation. I wish…I wish he never left." She smiles a bit. "He used to always cheer us up. I wish I could do what he did for you."

"Wait, what?" I ask, stepping forward.

"You have to go," Leanna says suddenly, opening the door for me. Her smile is completely wiped off her face now but as I pass her she says, "He was the greatest man I have ever known."

As I pass through the doors, I wonder how. In fact, my mother has never mentioned my father to me before except that he was a transfer. I wonder why he transferred from Abnegation to Erudite and how Leanna knows him. It's strange because Leanna is young and my father was at least thirty when he died.

I decide to walk home. Avoiding people is the best idea now.

As I walk home I see the boy who sat beside me walking home too. He must be Divergent then if he was sent home early. He stops to tie his shoelaces, and as he does, I pass him. I look back once and he locks his eyes with mine. Some sort of understanding passes between us; one that means we each want to be left alone. I ignore him and walk as fast as I can.

I predicted right that he was Divergent, but for the first time in my life, I wish I wasn't right. I used to think being right all the time was a good thing. But now, looking at it, maybe it's not. Sometimes being wrong would be better. Now being placed in the situation where I am Divergent and I am about to face a situation where it is life and death…I don't wish that upon others. I'm ready for the Games though. I'm nervous, but I will show everyone that Divergent are still people. I will.

Maybe I am selfless. Maybe I am brave. Maybe I am smart.

Maybe I am actually Divergent.


	4. Chapter 3: The Choosing Ceremony

When I wake up the next morning, I'm tense all over. I didn't get a good night's rest because of everything that has been going on. My results said that I am Divergent and I still don't believe it. My mother hasn't spoken to be since the results and no other Erudite has even looked my way. When I walked into the building yesterday, coming back from the aptitude test, one look on everyone's face and I could tell they somehow had found out I was Divergent.

I had quickly walked past everyone, my face red. I felt so embarrassed. All those years my mother had been anti-Divergent and now her own daughter was Divergent? Either those people thought my mother was a hypocrite or I was some kind of traitor. Neither was true though, and I just wish I could tell someone that but I knew, no one would listen. Being Divergent was the worst thing anyone could be in our society. It was even worse than being factionless.

I'm pretty sure the boy behind me had gotten worse reactions. Rarely did any Erudite happen to be Divergent. It's strange how every faction seems to have their own Divergent population but Erudite, no, we seemed to never have them. The boy and I are probably the first in ten or twenty years. It ruins how long the Erudite have gone without having any Divergent. I don't know why I'm Divergent if my mother isn't, but there must be a reason. Everything has a reason.

I quickly slip into my blue Erudite clothes even though they don't feel right. I don't feel like I'm Erudite anymore. I feel like I'm nothing. My faction acts like they don't want me, and my mother acts the same way. I want to cry, but I hide the tears. I can't seem weak to them. Especially now that people know I'm Divergent, I have to stand straight and tall to show them that it doesn't bother me. Their threats, their mocks and insults won't bother me at all.

My mother waits for me at the lobby where I quickly meet up with her. Without speaking, she walks away before I even reach her. I know she saw me, but the fact that she doesn't want to be seen walking with me is what hurts more. I don't show her that and just quickly walk a few steps behind her.

We take one of Erudite's solar paneled cars to the Hub. I used to be in love with researching about the cars, but now knowing I barely have a few days to live I barely care about the cars. I think about all the things I could have done… Then I shake my head. How am I Abnegation? I can't stop thinking about myself for a minute. I'm not even brave. I can't fight off the feeling of tears pouring down my face. I'm not smart either because if I was smart, I would have bribed the Dauntless into letting me go. I pinch myself so I don't cry.

My mother doesn't say a word while we are driven there. I'm going to be as honest as a Candor: I've never seen her not talk. It's strange seeing her not blabber out scientific facts and I feel like it's a good change. I never realized how talking a lot about facts could be boring until now. I look outside the window.

I imagined myself growing up in Erudite and getting married. Now I know that's all a dream. I'm never growing up now. I won't get past the age of sixteen unless I'm the victor of the Games. What are the chances of that? I'm not from Dauntless; I can't fight. I'm not even good with plants. If I was, I would be able to survive off wild plants in the arena that's built for the Games. My only advantage would be my knowledge and my smartness. But since the arena is run by people of my type, I'm no longer sure that I have any advantage.

The contestants, or known more as tributes, would be sent into an arena. Depending on whatever the Erudite thought, they would make an arena based of a certain theme. For example there could be water as a theme and the arena would be flooded with water. It has happened a couple of times, but mainly the arena has been a forest. The tributes therefore do more entertaining things for the audience. The audience is normally Erudite because they like to study how Divergent react and act overall. Rarely do normal faction members tune in to the Games. People get hurt and killed in the Games and people just don't like seeing that stuff.

The strange thing is, I'm going to be the first Erudite tribute in a long time. I haven't seen an Erudite tribute in my whole life. Every Game I've watched only has tributes from Abnegation, Candor, Amity or Dauntless. Usually most come from Abnegation.

I silently follow my mother out of the car and we head into the stuffed elevator. I see the Abnegation going up the stairs. I would never do that. How am I selfless? It's just not right.

I'm pretty sure I catch a glimpse of Leanna but the Abnegation all look the same to me so I'm not sure. When we get to the floor and get off, my mother walks in another direction where the leaders or representatives go. There is always one faction leader directing everything but the others stand in the back politely. They are there in case any faction member decides to attack the leader calling out the names. It hasn't happened at every Choosing Ceremony I've been to, but I've heard rumors of it happening once. That's why the other leaders are placed there. The Choosing Ceremony must go on.

I'm about to walk where the kids my age are standing in order according to their last name. A Dauntless stops me. He looks really scary as he pushes me back, holding his gun out. I'm Divergent and I'm sure he knows which is why if I make the wrong move, he will pull his trigger.

"Go to Connor," He snarls.

"Who's Connor?" I ask, unsure whether or not he'll answer.

He tilts his head in the corner of the room where a group of kids stand, some with red eyes. I recognize the Amity girl from yesterday and the Erudite boy. I stand corrected. _We_ are the first Erudite tributes in a long time. We are the tributes, the people, who will have brought shame onto our faction.

Or I should say, my birth faction.

The guard starts poking me with his gun and I walk forward slowly when I recognize the Connor guy. He was from my aptitude test. My friend from so long ago turned me in. I feel angry but I can't blame him. He was just doing his job. My mother was too. Faction before blood, isn't it?

"Hello Emma," Connor says.

I don't speak to him. I see him look crestfallen. What does he expect? I'm not going to say hi to someone who put me on my death bed. I ball up my fists. Maybe he doesn't realize, but my life is soon going to be over. It's then when I realize: I don't want to die yet! I'm too young.

I stuff my fists into my pocket and try to calm. I'm on the edge. I want to run away but I'm not sure where. And if I tried, I'm pretty sure the cars would be able to catch up to me.

"Hey, are you okay?" asks the boy who I saw walk home.

I nod slowly, looking at him. I never really looked at him closely before. He has dark brown hair and dreamy brown eyes that would make girls go crazy over him. But they won't because he's Divergent. He was too quiet back in school to be that kind of kid anyways.

"Yes," I say, straightening up. "I'm fine."

The Choosing Ceremony is starting, and even though we're supposed to watch, us Divergent whisper. Connor doesn't complain, I suppose because even he is bored. My mother is in charge this year. She reads the manifestos and goes through the same routine each year.

The Amity girl is all by herself. Most of us are close to where the bowls are but she's the farthest away. I don't have any interest in the Choosing Ceremony and I know meeting anyone will make it harder for me to kill them in the end, but I still want to. Besides, can I really kill? I don't want to become a murder machine I'm not. Although I won't be the one killing in the beginning, in the end people always kill and I just don't want to become that type of person.

I stand beside her, leaning against the wall.

When she sees me, she stands up, straight and tall. She's slightly shorter than me, but not by much. There's barely a difference. I don't know why I notice small things like this anyways. It really doesn't give me an advantage over anyone. I shake my head. I can't let thoughts like these get to me. I'm already thinking about the Games and how to win them. Besides, it's not even official I'm the tribute until after the Tribute Ceremony. That's when if any other "hidden" Divergent or Divergent that have managed to sneak away without being caught can volunteer to take the place of another tribute.

Rarely are there volunteers, and most volunteers tend to be Abnegation. There hasn't been a volunteer in so long, so I don't have high hopes of being replaced. The tributes who are replaced basically have an extra year to live or they are just watched super closely if they are cooperative. So technically, there really is no point in volunteering.

What the volunteers don't know is that they are putting their family at risk. I know because one year when I was young, someone volunteered. I remembered my mother putting in extra hours at work, investigating the family and also looking for who administrated the aptitude test so they could punish them for letting a Divergent past them.

By making sure only Divergent are entered in the test, the volunteers go through another test after the Choosing Ceremony, slightly similar to the aptitude test. Usually the volunteer passes the test and so that's why the official tributes are named during the Choosing Ceremony. However, one incident which I've heard of, where the volunteer turned out to not be Divergent, they were sent back home and watched carefully while the tribute the person had replaced came back.

"I'm Jenny," the Amity girl pipes suddenly.

She shakes me out of my thoughts. I nod stiffly at her.

"Emma," I say, though technically that's not my name.

Only my mother calls me by my full name, Emilia, but everyone else calls me Emma. Emilia is my birth name but I have never actually been called that by anyone except my mother. Emma feels much more suitable for me than Emilia anyways. I feel like Emilia isn't even my name.

"You nervous?" asks Jenny. Her eyes don't show the slightest bit of worry.

I shrug nonchalantly, but I am nervous. She doesn't look nervous and I wonder how she can be so calm. If I remember correctly, she was crying yesterday. Now she's acting cool like nothing happened. I really like how she hides her fear. Almost like…

"Dauntless," I blurt, accidentally speaking my thoughts. I slap a hand over my mouth as Jenny gives me a strange look. Then I explain hastily, "One of your factions must have been Dauntless, right?"

Jenny stuffs her hands into her pockets.

"Heck, why not?" She says, giving me a grin. "Everyone knows I'm Divergent anyways. To answer your question, Emma, yes I did. You too, right?"

I blink, confused at her. How could she tell I got Dauntless? I'm not taking this as easily as she is, but I nod, rather slowly. A silly smile spreads across her face. She puts out both her hands.

"Do you know how to play —?" She says something I don't catch.

"Sorry, what?" I ask, unsure if I heard her correctly.

Jenny sighs but then grins. As my mother calls up the names, Jenny teaches me some kind of hand game that I must admit, is kind of fun to play. We play several rounds until Connor nudges me. He points at my mother who is finishing up with the Choosing Ceremony. Now it's time for her to announce the Tribute Ceremony.

We are forced to walk onto the platform, standing behind my mother. We are separated by our faction. I stand with the Erudite boy. Jenny stands with another girl from her faction. I see my competitors. There are two Dauntless standing behind each factions' Divergent. They are there in case we decide to run. Connor and some other Dauntless leader stand behind us.

Jenny and the other Amity girl. Two boys from Candor. There are three boys from Abnegation and a girl. Including the boy and I from Erudite, and none from Dauntless. There's no surprise there. Dauntless rarely has tributes. They probably are killed first.

There are a total of ten of us. We are the record breaking amount of Divergent in one Game.

"Every year we host the Divergent Games," my mother starts, "in remembrance of what threat Divergence poses in our society." She pauses for a moment. "We remember the countless sacrifices that were made to defeat the opposing outside the fence. Divergence ruined the peace. Divergence fought for the opposing outside the fence. To punish and demolish the Divergent population, we hold our annual Divergent Games. It is a reminder what type of threat Divergent pose."

I note that she doesn't mention that the Erudite test and research on Divergent while they are in training. They are hiding secrets, and until I was part of it, I hadn't realized it.

My mother stops again, and this time I see clearly that she is shaking. It's time for the personal reflection on the history. Something that impacted them. Surprisingly, each leader has something that has impacted them. My mother spoke of Divergence threatening my safety before, but now she can no longer say that. I wonder what she's going to say.

"I…" She takes a shaky breath. She looks like she's distraught, but only I know my mother. She never is distraught, or at least, doesn't show it in public. She is putting on a show right now. "I lost my husband in that war."

I feel like someone has shocked me. I sit up straight. I have never heard how my father died before. Now that I know it was in The War? Or better known as the Divergence War. It was when Divergent rebelled against the government for no apparent reason.

"He…" My mother moistens her lips as she looks up at the crowd. "If you remember, he was the one who helped remove those putting our faction system in danger. He led the group bravely to demolish those threatening us. Divergent were the reason he died."

I hear mumbles of pity from the factions. Even the Dauntless.

I glare at my mother. She catches my eye for a moment but she ignores me. She's using them to her advantage. I never realized I minded that. Now I wonder how many times she's used me to her advantage but I just wasn't smart enough to realize she was.

My mother plasters a fake smile on her face and says loud and clear:

"Let the Tribute Ceremony begin!"


	5. Chapter 4: The Tribute Ceremony

I shudder slightly as I hear the words "Tribute Ceremony" leave my mother's mouth. The procedure is to first ask for volunteers after introducing each faction. Then, the tributes are introduced to the audience. I'm pretty sure people place bets on the tribute they think will win. At least, I think the Dauntless do.

Connor steps up to the front. His voice is loud enough for everyone to hear.

"To your right, Abnegation!" announces Connor, pointing at the gray-clothed kids. The Dauntless whoop and cheer, but I'm guessing mainly for Connor. He smirks. What a show-off. He continues announcing each faction, but when he gets to Erudite, there is no applause. Not even from the Dauntless. Everyone is stunned that Erudite even has any tributes.

Unsure what to do, Connor awkwardly claps to get the rest of the factions to clap. Then he looks out at the factions and asks, like it's a joke, "Are there any volunteers that would like to replace to tributes?"

Right after he finishes speaking, he and the other Dauntless guarding us start laughing. I see my mother shake her head with disapproval. For a moment, there is no movement in the crowd. Just as Connor is about to speak, I see it. I see her hand pop up.

Leanna.

"Uh…yes, you, Stiff?" Connor says, smirking.

Leanna ignores him and stands. I see the Abnegation around her look uncertain, giving each other uncomfortable glances. Leanna looks nervous, but I can tell she's hiding it as well as she can. I can give her credit for being brave despite not being a Dauntless.

"I volunteer…" Leanna hesitates and she locks her eyes on me. "I volunteer to take the place of Emilia Wilson."

Immediately, there are gasps around the room. If they hadn't recognized me as the Erudite leader's daughter before, well now they do. Leanna looks embarrassed. Just as Connor is about to speak, my mother quickly interjects.

"No." She says.

Connor gives her a confused look.

My mother steps forward, giving me a look, "No. You must choose a member from your own faction."

"What?" Leanna says in disbelief. "That was _not_ in the rules!"

I know what my mother is pulling. She wanted to get rid of me already because I was Divergent and now that everyone knew I was her daughter…well, that just made her want to get rid of me even more. She probably just made up that rule on the spot or something. But no one will challenge her leadership.

"It's a new rule," My mother says, smiling innocently. "Choose a member from your faction Leanna, or no one."

Leanna takes a deep, shaky breath.

"Alright," She says. "I volunteer to take the place of Becca Thompson."

I see the Abnegation girl burst into tears. She's free; free from the death we will all face. As they change spots, I see Becca giving Leanna a hug, despite Abnegation's dislike for physical contact. Becca walks beside my mother. My mother has a very fake smile on her face.

"Well, Becca," She says. "What faction do you choose?"

She hands her the blood drawing knife as Becca closes her eyes. She walks toward the Abnegation bowl and cuts herself. I feel jealousy boiling inside me. She gets to live. I don't. I will die in a matter of days, and Becca will get to live her life because Leanna took her place.

Becca takes her place in Abnegation as Connor turns to introduce each tribute one by one. They each walk up and he holds their hand up and shouts their name. The Dauntless echo what he says, but the other factions only clap. It gets very annoying by the third faction.

When Connor arrives at us, he first does the boy.

"Robert Gray!" Connor says, holding Robert's hand up. He gives Robert a little push as I walk forward, shaking. I barely register my mother watching me closely. Even Connor looks uneasy as I reach him.

He holds up my hand and shouts, "Emilia Wilson!"

People are silent at my name. One Dauntless whoops but I can hear his friends telling him to be quiet. Connor gives me a small shrug before I walk back to Robert. My mother bids farewell to the factions before Connor can say anything and all the leaders walk off the platform. The Dauntless guards bring us after them.

I'm not sure where we are headed to.

The Dauntless guards direct us into a large Amity truck that fits all ten of us. Some of us, including myself, have to sit outside. The wind blows over my cheeks when I realize something. I don't recognize this truck. The Amity have similar ones to this, but it isn't the same. This one seems to be bigger in a way.

"Wow," says Jenny, looking around her. "I always imagined myself sitting in these, delivering products." She sighs. "I guess it's all a dream now." She gives me a small smile. "It's definitely not happening."

Leanna, Robert, Jenny, and I. The other six and inside the truck.

The truck jostles a bit as it starts up. Leanna doesn't look me in the eye. She keeps avoiding me. I just sit, legs crossed and trying to be as polite as ever. Two Erudite, one Amity and one Abnegation. I'm betting we have a silent group outside. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

Robert looks at me sideways, then glances at Leanna.

"You're Leanna right?" He asks Leanna.

Leanna nods, though I can see worry in her eyes. I have a feeling she knows what she pulled and she's not proud of it. All she does is look on the ground and not speak.

Robert taps his chin thoughtfully and says, "You tried to volunteer. Why?"

"What are we at, an interrogation?" Leanna answers curtly.

I'm taken aback by her tone. I knew the Games changed people, but I didn't know they changed them so fast. We all look surprised, especially Jenny. Jenny looks disgusted even. But she shrugs. I guess it's because she knows we're all going to change anyways. It's what everyone expects.

"I'm sorry," replies Robert, putting his hands up in surrender. "I was just asking."

Leanna just rolls her eyes and looks away. I'm not even sure that's Abnegation of her to do that. I'm pretty sure if any Abnegation were with us outside, then they would disapprove of what she said. They aren't here which is why she's pulling this. I don't even think I know her anymore. I never was super close with her, but now? Seeing her act like this makes me wonder how she actually was when she wasn't crying.

"So…your name's Robert?" Jenny asks, changing the subject. She's looking at Robert who nods stiffly. Smirking a bit, she jokes playfully, "It's nice to meet you, Rob. Can't wait to destroy you."

I shudder a bit, though I know it's a joke.

"You mean…" I cross my arms, steadying my ragged breathing pattern, "we all are going to go crazy? Kill each other like every single tribute has done in the arena?"

Jenny purses her lips. "All the generations before us did it," she says, shrugging.

"The Erudite don't even need to finish us." I say, suddenly realizing it. "We just kill off our own species because it's survival." I snort. "We disgust me."

Jenny doesn't speak. She actually looks like she's thinking about that too. So does Robert, and even though Leanna is hiding it, I can tell that's what she's thinking too. She locks her eyes with me.

"What happens now that I've volunteered?" She asks.

I look at Robert and Jenny. Is she finally talking to me?

"Yes, you, Erudite," Leanna says, pushing herself up so she's standing. The truck's jolting from side to side as she sits down again. She looks me in the eye. "I know you know everything that goes on behind the scenes. What's going to happen now? Someone's obviously going to get punished. That's really only what the Erudite know how to do. Research, punish and kill." She shakes her head sadly.

I don't feel like antagonizing my previous faction, but I don't feel like defending it either. All I do is shrug. However, Robert goes ahead and explains to Leanna everything he knows. He knows quite a lot, surprisingly. He knows that they track their family and research their family, that they punish the administrator of the aptitude test and then keep an eye on your family.

Leanna smiles a bit.

"Well, they can try that," she says, grinning from ear to ear. "My aptitude test administrator has long disappeared. I'm pretty sure she's dead. My family…my…" She laughs. "They've all perished. Most of them were in that war your mother described." She nods towards me. "I was just a little girl. But Abnegation took care of me."

I can't imagine Leanna as a little girl, crying over her family's remains. I can't even imagine my father. But then again, I've never seen him before. My mother keeps that secret hidden away. I have no idea what kind of person he was or how he looked because my mother refuses to speak about it and he's dead.

It's silent for a long time before Robert speaks up.

"I just can't believe we're letting them do this to us," Robert says, looking up. He looks nervous as he speaks. "I mean…we're still human aren't we? What's wrong if we're Divergent? There's nothing wrong with us Divergent."

I remember something my mother said to me before.

"We can't be controlled," I say, my voice low.

Everyone around me shoots me looks. Some, disbelief, and others, shock. Leanna looks especially shocked. Jenny even gasps. Why didn't they know? They should know, shouldn't they?

"Controlled?" whimpers Jenny. "What do you mean?"

I take a deep breath. I don't know whether or not I should reveal what's going on in Erudite. I know I shouldn't, but…they aren't my faction anymore. They've been hiding secrets everyone deserves to know.

Before I can say anything however, the truck stops at the gates of Dauntless. The gates open and the truck drives through the bumpy road. You can tell this area hasn't been developed. Buildings are broken; this place is trash. Leanna stands up, stunned. I see a building, and I can tell it's new because it's not damaged and plus it's made of glass.

I recognize this place.

"What's going on?" I ask quietly. "I thought the arena was either grassy or —"

"I don't think we're at the arena," says Leanna as she sits down. She glances around us nervously like she thinks someone is going to attack. Then she leans in and whispers, "I think we're outside the fence."

I stifle a gasp.

This is the place my father fought. This is the "monster" he saved us from. Robert squints. He looks around us cautiously before he looks us in the eye. Pursing his lips, he stays quiet for a few seconds.

"I don't see an arena anywhere near us," he mumbles. "The electric fence usually marks the border, remember?"

I do remember. The Erudite created an electric fence to prevent the tributes from escaping. The electric fence is usually surrounded by Dauntless guards in case somehow the tributes do manage to escape.

The truck comes to a complete stop before the tall building. It reminds me of the Erudite building. I hear the doors slam shut as Connor with the other tributes exit. We hop out of the back and look up at the building. It's tall, and I can't remember if I've ever seen a building like this before. It's got some kind of strangeness I can't seem to pull out, but at the same time I know it.

We enter the building as a group, following Connor. Connor goes to speak to the woman at the front desk. In the lobby, there are pictures of different people plastered on the walls. One has a woman with blond hair and gray eyes. She could be my mother, but my mother looks different, and I'm pretty sure. But something about her gives me the chills.

Beside her picture is a man. I recognize him as the Erudite leader previous to my mother. Then beside him is a picture of my mother. I'm so absorbed in the pictures that I don't notice Jenny poking my ribs until it starts hurting.

"Ouch!" I shout and cover my mouth, wheeling around and glaring at Jenny. "What?"

"Look," says Jenny, pointing at the blond lady I previously was looking at. She glances at me and tilts her head before looking back at the picture. "It's strange…she looks like you."

These must be Erudite leader photos. From the very beginning of time I presume. I just nod because I do not know who the lady was. Jenny squints at the plague underneath and is just about to read the name when Connor claps his hands. We quickly make our way back to him.

"This is where you will be staying prior to the Games," Connor says. "It's sweet luxury." He grins cruelly. "But you won't be living in luxury for long."

"Training will be with me," Connor continues, grinning wickedly. "Be prepared for some Dauntless action, tributes. I will be staying on the top floor which is the Dauntless' supposed floor." He smiles. "When you reach the elevator you'll see that instead of buttons with floor numbers, there are your faction names. Press the one that corresponds to your faction. I suppose you all know what your faction is, right?"

Connor starts to walk towards the elevators. He turns back for a slight second.

"Prepare yourselves tributes. The next few days will be the worst days of your life."


	6. Chapter 5: The Death Sentence

Robert and I are the last ones in the elevator. Erudite is the highest floor of all the factions, excluding Dauntless. The two floors under Dauntless need passwords to get in so I'm supposing those floors are where the Erudite and Dauntless work. Another floor is the training floor. It's in the basement but none of us are willing to press that button.

Robert is silent and so am I. We don't have anything to say.

The doors open and I step off first. There is a couch in front of us and on both sides of us there are halls. There are doors, many, many doors. I look at the card I got when we were in the elevator with Connor. I'm room 10. I quickly look for my room and slide the card through. The light turns green as I enter.

There are cameras in every corner of the room. I'm not sure if that should scare me or not. All I know is that I can't show fear. That's what the Erudite want to see — our reactions — and I'm not letting them get that sense of accomplishment. I was once one of them, and I know what they think.

There's really nothing to do, so I just sit on the bed, twiddling my thumbs and thinking of a game plan to survive. I don't know how I'll take training. I can't possibly be the worst, the Abnegation must be worse than me, but I would never know.

After a few minutes, I hear knocking on my door.

At first, I just want to ignore it. But it won't stop. So I rush to the door and peek through the hole. I see a familiar face before unlock the door and open it. I cross my arms and stare at Connor. I'm not sure what he wants, but I doubt it's a good thing. I'm cross with him for so many reasons.

"Hey, Emma, could you help me out?" He motions at boxes.

"Uh…sure." I say, willing to get out of my room. We aren't allowed to go anywhere, so why not take the chance?

I help him lift one of the boxes. It's not heavy, so I'm not sure why he needs my help. He holds the other box as we enter the elevator. Connor gives me a wary look and tries as best as he can to cover what he types in. We're going on one of the secret floors. I'm thrilled.

"What's with all the levels with passwords?" I ask.

Connor looks like he's not going to answer when he shrugs.

"Might as well. Us Erudite go crazy when we don't get answers." He smiles a bit. He still considers himself an Erudite? Turning towards me, he explains, "One level stores all the training equipment and another is where your mother will be researching. You can't possibly tell me you haven't been here before."

I gasp slightly. "I _have_!" I exclaim. "But I had woken up in that place."

"Because your mother couldn't have you knowing you went outside the fence," Connor replies, grinning. "Most people don't know that the Games take place outside the fence. Well now, congrats, you know!"

The doors slide open and I can't believe my eyes. Erudite are everywhere, talking and working. We're on the top floor. They have windows that can see the broken city real well and screens. I see my mother standing with other Erudite. When she sees Connor she hurries towards him.

"Oh great," She says. "Connor, you are late."

"Sorry Eliza," Connor says, "I just…lost track of time."

My mother gives Connor a hard look. I don't think she sees me.

"My name is Elizabeth," she says. "If you can't get that right, don't say it at all." Just as she's about to turn away, she sees me. She stops in her tracks. "Why did you bring her here?"

"To help me," Connor replies. "There was no rule against that."

My mother sighs exasperatedly. I'm guessing she's getting tired of Connor. I'm just surprised she hasn't screamed at me to get out yet. Handing the box to another Erudite, she turns to Connor.

"Get her out of here," She says. "If I as much as _see_ her again, she will be dead before the Games even start."

I doubt Connor cares but just to make her mad, he replies with, "You'll be seeing her in the screens."

My mother's face turns red. "Out!"

Connor quickly pushes me into the elevator and I see my mother calming down as the doors close. Connor raises an eyebrow at me, but the words my mother spoke really stung. It was better when she didn't notice me; it was a lot more peaceful. I take deep breaths.

"That didn't go as planned," Connor says as he presses the "Erudite" button.

I sigh, "She's going to rig this Game."

"Definitely," Connor agrees. "Did you see how mad she was?"

I roll my eyes. Sometimes I wonder how this boy was ever Erudite.

"Ha, ha, very funny," I say, my voice thick with sarcasm. "I mean _me_. She's going to rig the Games so I can't win. So that I'll be the first one she takes down. That means _I'm_ going to die first!"

I feel like shouting at him now. I never really truly realized when I said I didn't want to die, I meant it. Connor gives me a hard look. It doesn't help with my mixed feelings. I just sink the ground. Even when the doors open, I feel like my mind is too fuzzy to comprehend anything, so Connor drags me out and seats me on the couch.

"Calm down, Emma," Connor says. He eyes me. "You'll be able to evade her."

I see Robert peeking at us from behind Connor. Connor doesn't seem to notice. He mouths something like "I'll distract him!" but I just shake my head. He probably thinks I'm in trouble or something. It's nice of him to do that but it's not really what he thinks it is.

"She's the world's smartest woman," I say exasperatedly. "How am I supposed to evade that?"

For some reason, I feel like we're old friends again. Like I can spill all my secrets; tell him everything. But I know deep down, I can't. The past is the past, and whatever friendship we had only lingers. He barely knows me anymore. We grew up, we fell apart, just like the typical childhood friend in the factions. We would've been in different factions anyways.

"You're smart," Connor says, squeezing my hand. "You'll think of something."

He thinks for a moment before whispering, "You can tell me anything, you know? I'm still your friend." He gets up and presses the up button on the elevator before heading inside.

I see the doors close.

Something's up. I think my mother's behind this. He thinks I trust him with my secrets, but now things seem to be adding up. My mother is behind this so she can destroy me faster. He brought me up to her floor and she didn't "notice" until she handed the box away. She made a big deal over it, which she never does in reality, and made him make me leave. He argued which made it seem like he was on my side. I sink into the couch.

Robert makes his way slowly towards me, his eyes wide, filled with worry.

"You okay?" He whispers. "I saw…that."

I snort, "Yes, I'm fine Robert. Just my mother trying to kill me. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

I get up and walk away angrily. When I open the door, I slam it, making sure everyone hears the loud slam. I'm really angry with everyone and I don't even know why. It wasn't Robert's fault. I just wasn't in a good mood.

I sit on the bed and bury my head in my knees to give a good cry. Being focused on in the Games isn't a good thing. It's almost like you're guaranteed your death, sooner or later.

It's like a death sentence.


	7. Chapter 6: The Truth?

I hear a knock on my door and peer through the hole. It's Robert. So, slowly, I open the door because I feel like I still need to apologize to him from yesterday. I'm surprised to see him dressed so casually like he wasn't given a death sentence. Well again, technically, he could win the Games.

I haven't changed since last night. I passed out on the bed from crying I suppose. What other explanation would there be? But Robert looks fresh. He even looks more confident than I've ever seen him.

"You missed breakfast," Robert says. He holds out something in his hand. The smell of food hits me. "But I managed to sneak some away. Here, I brought you some juice and a croissant."

In his other hand is a can of juice that hasn't been opened. In his other hand it a large croissant wrapped in paper. I invite him in and silently eat as he looks around the room. I haven't really touched the wallpaper, though I've heard of some tributes decorating their rooms.

Robert touches the wall before turning back to me.

"No pictures?" He asks. "Nothing?"

We're allowed to put things on the wall; it's not against the rules but it just never occurred to me I wanted anything on the wall. I shrug as I finish the croissant. I don't know why he's being so nice to me after yesterday and I want to apologize, but nothing comes out of my mouth. The words are stuck in my throat.

Robert sighs, "Well, I suppose I should get going. Training starts in an hour."

I stop him. "Wait," I say. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I guess…I just lost my temper."

"No kidding," Robert says, but I see his smile. "Hey, Emma. You can tell me anything okay? Especially if it's something that will hurt one of us. We're the only Erudite tributes. We have to have each other's back."

I nod.

"So what happened yesterday?" Robert says, sitting beside me on my bed. His voice drops lower. "I heard just a bit of your conversation. You said your mother was the smartest woman…like you have to outsmart her or something."

It's hard telling Robert things when I'm not sure who I trust. I want to trust him because he seems so genuine but just being near him makes me nervous. Sure, we're one faction, but in the end only one of us will win. I don't want to die and I'm sure he feels the same way.

But somehow, I find the voice to explain. I explain everything that happened, ever since my aptitude test. Robert nods along like he understands, and he probably does. I can't even imagine what or how his parents would have reacted when they found out he was Divergent. I can't imagine it being good. His parents may have even thrown something. I've heard rumors of one father who accidentally threw a desk out the window through his anger.

"Same here," Robert says after I finish. "I mean…my parents were shocked. We all expected me to get Erudite. My mother was so worried, she fainted." He stifles a small laugh. "It was funny for the moment. My father…" He trails off, looking around like he's looking for cameras. Bringing his voice lower he says, "My father wanted me to run."

Run? Running is the same as running to your death. The Dauntless would always find you and not one runaway had ever managed to escape. I remember the screams as one of the Abnegation Divergent was shot for trying to run away after the aptitude test.

"I didn't run," Robert finishes. "If I did, I knew they'd be tracking my parents next. There's really no point in these Games. Your mother and every single Erudite just want to research us. Then just research us in a lab!"

He seems to be ranting to me.

"Not just that," I add in, "we're the first Erudite Divergent since…well, forever."

Robert snorts as I give him a curious look.

"That's what _you_ think." He mumbles. Then he smiles a bit as I frown at him. "Emma, be honest. Divergence…I suppose it's just human nature. Some people have it and some people don't. So technically, anyone could have it. Erudite isn't immune to human nature. Erudite isn't immune to having Divergent. I mean…look at us. Our parents just weren't as quick reactors as the others."

I stare at him. "The others?" I repeat.

"Yeah," Robert says slowly, his eyes widening. "Others. You sound like you've never heard of them before. We Erudite…we're intelligent. We —"

"You still consider us Erudite?" I ask, snorting. "I'm sure they completely disowned us."

Robert rolls his eyes, "Yes, I do Emma. Now just listen. Erudite are intelligent. Which parent would throw their kid into the Games knowing that their chances of survival are…" — he frowns slightly — "less than ten percent?"

He shakes his head. "Never mind that. Let's just say our survival chances are low because we aren't taught to fight. We are only intelligent." Robert continues. "So what they do is they observe their children carefully. When they get their results, the first thing they do is check the system. If they're Divergent, they do some Erudite mumbo jumbo and then…boom! Makes it look like their result was Erudite."

"What?" I gasp. "But there's an Erudite looking over each aptitude test —"

"An Erudite watching over each aptitude test." Robert says, mimicking my voice. "Seriously? Think, Emma. Results are so simple to change before anyone makes sense of anything." He sighs. "My parents didn't know that. They aren't…the brightest of the Erudite. They're transfers. But you…I'm surprised your mother didn't change your results."

I don't speak. I don't think my mother expected me to be Divergent either. She didn't even put that much security. She just put a Dauntless there knowing there wasn't really a point on putting an Erudite with me. There would be no problem proving my results and no one would argue. But now I know we both were wrong. I'm Divergent. And I don't think even if she knew, she would save me. She would get rid of me; get rid of the shame.

"She wouldn't," I reply miserably. "She would be a hypocrite. If there's anything I know about her, she keeps her reputation no matter what."

Robert is silent before speaking, "It's surprising. No one is Divergent in your family."

I shrug. "I could be the unlucky one," I say, sighing deeply.

Robert checks the time before jumping up. His eyes are wide. He quickly starts for the door and shouts, "We're going to be late for training!" And then rushes away. I quickly close the door and change into the training clothes given to us. They're very nice for movement.

I enter the elevator and just as the doors are about to close, Robert puts a foot in and the doors open. He then presses the "TC" button. I suppose that stands for "training centre". He winces slightly as he locks eyes with me.

"Ready for training?" He asks.

I keep my eyes on the elevator doors as he reaches over and squeezes my hand.

"You bet."


	8. Chapter 7: A Tris Prior

When the elevator doors open, it's all I can do to not be amazed. We are the last people to arrive. When Connor sees us, I see a smirk grow across his face. He's going to embarrass us in some manner.

"Late on your first day?" He asks innocently. Then, in a voice that scares me, he says, "That's not a very good first impression, is it?"

He points up and through a glass window. I can see Erudite gathering around, watching and researching. I take a shaky breath. They're studying us. I know the Dauntless are supposed to give us scores, but I never thought that the Erudite studied during training too. But looks like they do.

Robert lets go of my hand quickly, embarrassed as we make our way to join the group. Connor stands on top of a box. It's not like he needs to. He's taller than the majority of us anyways. Connor surveys all of us tributes. Then he speaks loudly and clearly.

"This is how training will work," He says. "The next few days you will be trained and taught values of each faction. You will be ranked and given a score based on how well you do. The Erudite and Dauntless come together to form a score." He grins that grin that's so familiar now. That wickedness. "It's usual for tributes to be injured during training. Medication will be applied, however if it doesn't heal before the Games…" He shrugs. "Too bad."

He points at a lane of soil.

"Each of you will have to know how to plant in case there isn't any food around and you can only depend on planting." Connor says. "This is something Amity knows how to do. At the end of this week, we will check how well it has grown. If you can't do this, well…" He chuckles. "Good luck in the Games."

He's given us a hint about the arena. Robert and I lock eyes and nod. Jenny looks happy. She knows how to do this I guess. It is Amity stuff after all. She should be able to do this. But us? Probably not. If it's so essential to surviving, I will try my best to do it then.

Quickly, we scramble for supplies. I grab seeds I find in the pile.

One of the Abnegation boys comes up empty-handed.

Connor looks at him with disapproval, "Tut, tut. You've got to act fast. That will definitely reflect in your score." He smirks before hopping off the box and watching each of us plant.

An Amity man stands there, giving us pointers and tips from time to time. I try to plant but I'm not good at this. Jenny, when Connor isn't looking, helps me. I think she forgot about the Erudite. But when I look up, the Erudite's eyes are on the computer screen, unmoving.

Jenny is the first of us to finish planting and giving her plant the right amount of nutrients or something. My hands shake as I cover up the hole I dug. Jenny looks at Connor with disgust.

"He just disgusts me," Jenny says, whispering to me. "I hate every single part of him. Is there a time where he is nice and not…evil?"

"He's just being himself," I say.

"Not very nice," Jenny mutters. "I would even prefer it if he was pretending to be someone he isn't. Gosh, do the Erudite have to throw us in this mess? Excuse me for being a Candor, but they aren't very nice people are they?"

All I say is, "I think I'm slowly learning your factions."

Jenny flushes pink. "Just because I didn't get Amity doesn't mean I can't be one." She says, putting her hands up in surrender. Then she giggles as I stare at her in shock. She frowns slightly when she sees me staring at her. "What?"

"You only got two factions?" I ask, confused.

"Well, the last time I checked, that was the definition of being Divergent." Jenny says, busying herself with more seeds.

I quickly pretend to work as Connor walks over.

"Actually…two or more factions." Jenny corrects herself. "But no one has ever gotten more than two factions…except once. I hear those Candor rumors all the time about some woman who died before The War."

The Candor boy working across from us seems to have heard. He looks up.

"It's true!" He pipes, keeping his voice low.

"Lies." Jenny mutters. She gives the boy a look. "No one can possibly get three. I heard from Erudite it's technically impossible in the aptitude test."

"You hear a lot of things," I say.

The Candor boy looks distraught. "We even know her name!" He says. "It was something like…Tri…Prior or something…" He frowns. "Or Bea…"

"Candor!" snaps Connor, making us flinch. "You've got something to say?"

"N — no!" stutters the boy.

"Then keep your mouth shut!" Connor scowls.

Jenny and I exchange looks and get back to working on the garden.

Without speaking, the boy continues working on his mini-garden. By the time it's lunch, I have at least ten seeds planted. Majority were with Jenny's help, but the rest wasn't. I had finally gotten a hang of things. Quickly, we washed up and found a place to sit for lunch.

"Man," Jenny grumbles as she sits beside me. "That Connor is…he's a something alright."

In one corner of the room, all you can see is blue clothes. The Erudite sit there. I try not looking there. In another corner are the Dauntless leaders, laughing and joking around with each other. I watch the Candor boy slip beside Jenny, his eyes averted.

"You alright?" asks Jenny kindly. He looks up. "Connor hit you hard, didn't he?"

"Yes." The boy says. "He scares me. I think he's a jerk."

Robert snorts and mouths "Candor" to me.

Jenny gives Robert a look of disapproval before turning back to the Candor boy. "We'll help you out. We all will have each other's backs." Jenny replies, smiling widely. "Say, what's your name?"

"Jacob," says the boy as he takes a bite into his bread. He gives me a strange look. "Aren't you Elizabeth Wilson's daughter? Shouldn't you be…not here?"

I feel like someone just socked me in the stomach.

"What's your point?" I ask, my jaw clenched.

"I'm just saying…" shrugs Jacob, taking another bite out of his sandwich. "It's strange. The Erudite leader has a child who is competing in the Divergent Games. That's just strange. It's never happened."

I try not to pummel Jacob. He's speaking his mind, just like he's trained to, but it's hard. Robert reaches over and squeezes my hand to calm me down. I just viciously bite into my bread, not looking at Jacob. When Robert releases my hand, he looks at Jacob, frowning.

"There's always a first for everything," Robert says. "And technically…we don't even know if she is actually the first Erudite leader to have a child that's Divergent. Us Erudite have ways of escaping the doom of being Divergent."

"What?" gasps Jenny, now completely focused. "That's unfair."

Robert explains and as he does, my eyes land on the Abnegation side. Jacob's Candor friend joins us and so does Jenny's friend. But the Abnegation isolate themselves. The Abnegation are usually called the Career tributes because there are always so many of them. They usually team up in the Games.

"We'll outnumber them easily," Jacob says, when he sees where I'm looking. "This year, there's a record breaking low number of Divergent from Abnegation. If we all team up, we'll easily finish them off."

I snort. "So…survival is key, isn't it?" I ask. "Everyone's losing their minds."

Jacob gives me a look of disgust.

"I'm sorry, but I'd rather be alive than dead. Even if it means I have to have the title of a murderer." He shrugs nonchalantly. "These Games…I have a feeling they're going to be different."

Knowing that he's Candor, I know every word that just came out of his mouth is true. Even Jenny looks horrified at what he has said. I zone out of her scolding him to look over at the Abnegation. Just because they were born in Abnegation, doesn't mean they can be selfless. They are only sixteen. They could've transferred to another faction. But I know for sure Leanna is selfless. Yet when we arrived, she had an attitude change. I shudder.

She was a member of Abnegation. Yet she changed.

"Why are they doing this each year?" asks Jacob aloud. "I mean…they have Divergent each year. All the Divergent have the same amount of factions. So why keep testing us?"

"I think it's solely for their entertainment," says the other Candor boy.

"Yeah," says Robert, his voice thick with sarcasm, "because watching people get killed is obviously entertainment."

"Erudite are vicious killers," the other Candor boy argues.

I glance uneasily at the Erudite who are eating. Among them, I see my mother. They don't seem to hear a word we say. I turn back as Robert and the Candor boy argue over which faction is more vicious.

"Calm down!" says Jenny, cutting across their argument. "Don't you think they just want to see which Divergent has more than two factions?"

The two Candor exchange glances. Robert raises his eyebrow but I shake my head. He nods slowly. We seem to agree on one thing — it's definitely not because they want to find Divergent with more than two factions.

"The aptitude test would've shown that," I point out. "They don't need these Games."

Jenny shrugs. "Or they're just researching us," She says. She gives the Candor girl a look. "You know, research can always take forever. Each person is different after all."

"Or maybe they're just worried about rebellion," Jacob suggests. "The more factions, the stronger the Divergence. Like that girl! Luke, do you remember her name…?" He asks, turning towards the Candor beside him.

"Yeah," says Luke, glancing around nervously. "She hasn't got a good reputation among Candor. You should know her name. It's Tris Prior."

Jacob snorts, "Tris Prior. Honestly, Luke, you know that's a hard name to remember. I mean, what kind of name is Tris? Actually, is that even a name? Well, it's not a very normal one, is it?"

He talks so fast. None of us even get a chance to interrupt.

"It's a nickname, Jake." Luke mumbles. "Just…relax."

"Oh yes!" squeals the Amity girl. "Jen, remember Tris Prior? She's forbidden to be talked about!" She sighs. "It's like they don't even want to mention her name. I wonder why."

I frown. She's forbidden to name? What could she have done that made her forbidden to name? Robert and I lock eyes, exchanging messages. He doesn't really understand either. We both have the same questions.

I try concentrating as the Candor and Amity talk about the mysterious Tris Prior.

"I heard, she killed the Erudite leader," whispers Luke. I lean in. "You know, the one before the last one? It was a woman. Her picture's hanging down in the lobby."

"Ooh," gasps Jenny. She nods at me. "The one who resembles Emma."

Jacob purses his lips and looks at me, observing me. It makes me uneasy. When he finishes, he nods and says, "Same blond hair, similar gray eyes, but Emma's are a bit more sharper, like her mother's. And she has a tint of blue in them. Probably her father's eyes. And her eyes are rounder. Also, Emma has a spare upper lip."

"Excuse me?" I ask, baffled. It's strange when people can say so many things about you and you barely know them. It's even…creepy in a way. I shudder a bit before looking at Jacob in the eye.

Luke snorts with laughter. "Ignore him," he says. "Jake's a creepy stalker."

A laugh bubbles in my throat. It grows bigger until the whole group is laughing. The Abnegation look our way, confused. I even see the Erudite look our way. My mother stares for a moment, but quickly pretends she wasn't looking, and looks away instead.

From the corner of my eye, I see Connor walking over, his eyes gleaming. It can't be good. Connor doesn't smile for nothing. He smiles for a reason, and usually, it's not a good reason.

"Oh, you Candor crack me up." Connor says, smiling but speaking without emotion. He slams a fist on the table, making me jump. "Why don't you save your laughter for the Games? You'll definitely need it then."

By now, everyone is quieting down.

"That's right," Connor says, his voice dangerously sweet. "Not laughing now are we?"

I just really can't stand how Connor treats us, but what can I do? I can't help anyone. I'm not the Dauntless the test said I was, I'm not the Abnegation the test said I was and I'm definitely not the Erudite the test said I was. How am I even here? I'm not Divergent, can't they tell?

Connor smiles with a sly look in his eyes, "Five more minutes, tributes. Just five more minutes, and then we start training."

His eyes twinkle as he speaks.

"I hope you can carry heavy boxes. If you can't, your loss." He smirks. "Next up, Abnegation."


	9. Chapter 8: Standing Up

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, it means a lot! Just for those who don't know, I update every week.  
****~ Anna**

* * *

When we finish lunch, Connor brings us outside where we see the broken city. He holds a gun like it's nothing, even pushing us with the gun too. I see a truck with several boxes inside. I wince. They look heavier than the boxes Connor made me bring up.

"You will bring these to the floor labelled 'RL'. For now, the password has been disabled so anyone may go up." Connor explains as we near the truck. He makes a show of holding up his gun. "Don't think about running away, because it won't work. Any plan of escape won't work."

A smile grows across his face.

"Depending on the amount of boxes you have carried to the floor, will be part of your final score and ranking." Connor continues, his smile more like a smirk now. "If you can carry two boxes at once, be my guest. If you get hurt, it's not my problem."

He glances at his watch. "Any time, tributes, any time."

Before I realize it, people are rushing to the boxes. I quickly rush after them, the last one to reach the truck. I grunt as I heave a box down and run into the lobby. The box is heavy. I see the woman at the front desk give me a look of pity as I rush past her. I get to the elevator, but the door is already closing.

"Ah, Nose," I hear a familiar voice behind me. Connor. "Lost?"

"Go away, Connor," I grumble. "I'm not in the mood."

Connor pinches his lips into a line as he looks at another hallway. That hallway we tributes aren't allowed to use. Apparently, there's something there that's dangerous. I'm not willing to die just yet. I'll wait for the elevator even.

I'm just really angry at myself for losing this. There are two elevators, and I couldn't even catch one. I look backwards quickly and stare at the Erudite leader that we had been talking about at lunch. She does like creepily familiar, and I think I know why.

She looks like my mother.

Connor catches me looking and smiles a bit. A smile without any of his nastiness in it. I doubt I have ever seen a smile like that from Connor before. He never seems to actually fully smile.

"Recognize her?" He asks. "She was killed in the first Divergence War."

I take a shaky breath, "No."

"Pity," Connor replies, shrugging nonchalantly. "She was quite important in the war. That's why she was killed. The Divergent rebels knew exactly where to hit. They are really dangerous."

"You mean like Tris Prior?" I ask.

Immediately, I know I've said something wrong when Connor's eyes harden.

"Don't _ever_ say that name again, Emma." Connor replies, his voice harsh. "It's forbidden. But one Erudite to another, yes. In fact, she was the one who killed her. Tris Prior was a dangerous girl."

I look away before saying, "I heard she got a lot of factions in her test."

"It was thought to be impossible," answers Connor. "But she got three factions. Your mother says it's because of her stubbornness; her refusal to choose from the cheese and knife." He shrugs. "There could be many other reasons why."

Just like me.

I feel a knot in my stomach and I want to puke. I'm just like Tris Prior. We got the same amount of factions. She's dead, and I soon will be too. I'm pretty sure she didn't get the same factions as I did. Then we would actually have a problem.

"What faction was she from?" I ask slowly. "Tris, I mean."

Connor hesitates, and then replies, "Abnegation I think."

"Strange name," I comment.

"She chose Dauntless." Connor says, shrugging. "She's actually got a pretty good rep in our faction. Ranked first with a stunning amount of six fears or something. It's a pity she was Divergent. She would've done good in our faction."

That means Tris couldn't have gotten Erudite. I'm relieved. I keep my eyes on the elevator but it doesn't seem to be coming down. I try not to panic. Soon, I will be ranked last. That won't do any good for me. The tribute ranked first gets dropped into the arena first. Then slowly after, depending on the ranking, tributes are dropped in.

"What's going on?" I ask, panicking. "Is the elevator stuck? Are there stairs?"

Connor smirks, "The Dauntless must be making their lives hard. And yes, Emma, there are stairs. Obviously. But I think there's an easier way…"

Then he looks as if he's making a hard decision before saying, "Here. Follow me."

He beckons me to follow him as he walks down the forbidden hallway. I'm afraid this is a trap, but I will die anyways if I don't follow him. So I follow him quickly and quietly. The light turns on at the end of the hallway and then I see it — an elevator. I gasp slightly as Connor swipes his card. The door opens.

"When you get up to that floor, make sure you try to fit in with the crowd so it doesn't look like you've come up this way." Connor says, as he glances over at the woman at the counter.

She doesn't seem to be looking.

I quickly thank him and hurry into the elevator. I'm about to press "RL" which must stand for Research Lab or Reading Library when Connor reaches in and presses the button. Before I can say anything, the doors close and the elevator moves up. A few seconds later, the doors open and I quickly scurry out.

I see the other tributes being given a hard time as the Dauntless constantly trick them until an Erudite comes over. Robert is the first to go back down the elevator. Quickly, I rush up to the first Erudite I see.

"Here," I say breathlessly. "Where do I put this?"

When he turns, he just takes the box.

I see my mother standing on the other side, pointing at figures in the monitor. I see Connor, standing nonchalantly beside the elevator I just went up. I shudder as I quickly follow Leanna and Jenny into the elevator. When the doors close, I lean against the wall.

"Hey, Emma, where were you?" asks Jenny. She looks surprised.

I shrug, "You guys left me behind."

"Sorry," mumbles Jenny. "But this is survival, so we kind of have to —"

Leanna cuts across her words cleanly, "We'll help you next time."

I look at Leanna. She's still Abnegation, and even if she tries, that won't change. If I remember correctly, she has already taken the test determining that she's Divergent, so she must be. I still see the hardness in her eyes. It's something that probably won't change, and will stay there until her final breath. I can only guess, but I'm almost sure one of Leanna's factions is Dauntless.

"Nah, it's fine," I reply. I won't let them risk their lives — their chances of survival — for me. I have to earn it myself. "You just carry on. Jenny is right. It's survival. Only the best may survive."

Leanna gives me a sad look and Jenny just nods.

"I'm never wrong," Jenny replies. Then she giggles. "Well, just sometimes."

* * *

Just as we bring up our last batch of boxes, Robert currently leading in helping with the most. Jacob looks sick.

"My back is seriously going to break after this one," He mutters. "I…I wish I was stronger."

"You're strong, kid." Leanna says, encouraging him as we enter the elevator. "Keep going. Don't give up."

Just as the doors are about to close, I see someone stick their foot in so the doors open again. Connor joins us as he presses the close button. Immediately, we are all tense. Jenny looks at me nervously. Robert, pressed against the wall, swallows hard, looking like he's ready for anything.

Connor surveys us and his eyes land on Jacob.

"You look pathetic," He spits. "Can't even carry a box? What are you, a Stiff? Oh wait, Stiffs can actually _do_ things."

I watch as Jacob looks like he's going to burst into tears. Luke gives me a look. He looks scared, but probably scared for Jacob. I just don't know how people can be like that: put others in front of themselves.

"What?" Connor goes up in his face and says, "Going to cry? Maybe you should blame yourself. It's you who brought on this burden to yourself. Divergent." He spits out the last word as if it's poison.

That's what unleashes my anger.

"Stop it!" I scowl, pushing Connor into the doors. "You know what? You're bullying him, and last time I recall, that's not being a Dauntless."

The doors open, but I don't realize it. I'm on a roll.

"You know what you actually are?" I ask angrily. "A coward. That's what. Bullies are cowards, and that's what you are. A bully. You leave Jake alone. It's none of your business if he can't carry a box. You can't even be humane, so don't even start with him."

I look at him in the eye. "You're not brave. You're a little, cowardly, selfish jerk. Jake is ten times, even a thousand times better of a person you are! He might not be able to hold a box because you've forced thousands on him already. So what? He's brave, he's kind, he's smart and he's selfless. It's better than what you could ever be." I let the box in my hands drop.

I'm not even aware of the Erudite and my fellow tribute's silence.

I see the stairs — Connor was right, there were stairs.

Turning on my heels, I storm away angrily, slamming the door as I go.

I know for sure my score will drop by tons. The Erudite and Dauntless leaders will be talking about coming up with the scores, and they will remember this. But I don't care. No one messes with my friends, or anyone I know. Especially if they don't deserve it.

I smile a bit as I think about being Divergent. Maybe I am a rebel like Tris Prior. But I know it's for a good cause. It's to stop this world's madness and the ways they treat us Divergent.

I stood up for my friend; something I never thought I'd do, especially to a Dauntless holding a gun. Or to anyone really. But I did. I think about my test results: Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless.

Maybe they're finally starting to show.


	10. Chapter 9: I'm Awake

By nighttime, I'm exhausted and all the anger has drained away. I'm sitting in the corner at the back of the building. I'm not supposed to be there, but no one has arrested me yet, so I stay there. Plus I don't want to go back. I can't imagine what Connor will have in store for me.

"I _told_ you to keep her away!" snarls a voice. "If anything interests her, she will find out more about it. Goodness, Connor. Can't you do _anything_ useful? Don't forget why I allowed you to be appointed leader."

The voice is familiar but my clouded mind can't make the connection. I can tell it's a woman, and I know now that Connor is with her, or they're chatting on the phone, but based on the footsteps I can hear, I'm guessing that it's two people.

"She was curious!" Connor snaps. He must be mad. I've never heard him like this before. "Curiosity is something you Erudite accept! Out of everyone, you should be the one to understand I should have responded and why!"

Scowling, I hear the woman respond, "This is a different case. You know that."

"I'm sorry for trying to be a nice person," Connor replies, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Tris Prior is no different from anyone else, Elizabeth! You and the other Erudite always talk about her. It's about time some tributes got into Emma's mind with that name. She was going to learn it anyways. One way or another, she would."

Elizabeth. My mother.

I cover my mouth and quickly stand up. If I'm caught here, I'll be in humongous trouble. I don't care if Connor catches me by himself: that's different. But if my mother catches me? I know exactly what she's capable of being and I don't want to be here for it.

Still, they're talking about me and I want to know.

_One more minute_, I tell myself. _One more minute and then you run back._

"It affects Emilia differently," I hear my mother say, her voice sharp. "You know how it affects her, Connor. If she ever finds out the truth…" She takes a shaky breath. "She's going to be very surprised."

I hear them coming closer.

Connor stops in his tracks — at least I _think_ it's Connor — and says, "She's bound to find out one way or another. Don't you want her to know before she dies at least? At least know the truth?"

I can imagine my mother thinking over this one like a hard test question.

"Tomorrow," she says, "we will see what really is going on inside Emilia's head. Then we'll see whether or not we should tell her. Either way, Connor, I don't want to talk about the Games just yet."

I'm almost certain they are nearing me and so I dash away. I run inside and the woman at the front desk pays me no attention, maybe on purpose, as I go in the elevator. Smoothing down my shirt, I remove twigs as I press down the Erudite button. Tomorrow, they'll find out the truth. How?

I think about it. We've been through Amity and Abnegation. The factions left are Erudite, Dauntless and Candor. _Candor_. The doors open, but I'm frozen. They're going to use the truth serum. I know for a fact that the truth serum is something that Divergent seem to not be able to resist. If they find out what I'm thinking, they might have a possibly to gain control over me. Not just that, but the thoughts I'm thinking now… I just don't want anyone knowing. I want to cry, but the tears won't come out. So I just sit there, in the elevator, for what seems like forever

* * *

"Emma," says a voice.

I blink, as my eyes register the light. I see Robert's face come into focus, as I crawl backwards quickly, only to realize that I'm on a couch. Robert looks concerned. His eyebrows are scrunched up. It kind of makes him look like a little kid in a way; a cute chubby kid.

"You okay?" He asks. "You were sleeping in the elevator."

I automatically jump up, realizing I'm not in my room but Robert just pushes me back down. He frowns at me, looking at the time.

"We're going to be late." Robert says. "I just wanted to see if you were awake."

"Late?" I repeat. "For training?"

"Breakfast." He corrects me. "Here, how about this. If you need to rest up, I'll go grab something for you. If you don't, you can come with me. That way it won't make you look as bad as it would've if you walked in by yourself."

I don't want to miss out on breakfast again, so I say, "No, let's go."

We both enter the elevator. Robert presses the lobby button as we watch the floor levels go down. Even with the Abnegation included, Robert seems to be the nicest person. At least, to me.

"About yesterday…" I start.

"Don't." Robert shakes his head. "It was nice of you to stand up for Jacob. It doesn't matter what happens in there. Just know your friends will definitely stand up for you, okay?"

I hear my stomach growl as I nod.

Robert gives me a look. "Did you skip dinner too?" He asks. "I mean, I didn't see you, but I just thought…"

"Nah, its fine." I say, but I'm actually really hungry. I just don't want to cause more trouble for the group than I already have. So, without speaking, I just look away from Robert as the doors open.

We enter the cafeteria and I see Jenny with Jacob, Luke and Leanna. They all seem to be chatting. As I enter with Robert, all the initiates are quiet and soon it's so silent that you could hear a pin drop. My eyes travel to the Erudite table. All the blue-clothed are quiet. Not something you hear every day.

When I sit beside Jenny, Luke immediately says, "Thank you…for yesterday."

"You knocked some sense into that jerk," Jenny mutters, nodding in Connor's direction. "He still is a jerk though."

Luke shrugs, "At least he stopped bothering Jake."

"Correction: he's a pansycake," Leanna replies, smiling.

Our table bursts into laughter. Pansycake is a Dauntless insult, and although it's an insult, it sounds funny. I think that's what makes us laugh. I'm just glad I didn't make anyone's life worse. Quickly, I scarf down the food. We're late, but I finish right before training starts.

* * *

"Today, tributes, the truth serum will be inserted." Connor says. He isn't smirking or smiling. That's strange. "This is one serum that the Divergent have been known to have a problem resisting. You will be asked simple questions privately and the questions will only be recorded by the Erudite. No one else.

"As usual, we will be going in the reverse order of factions in charge." I see a small smirk forming, but when his eyes land on me, it disappears. "Get used to this order, tributes, because this is the order the private sessions will occur in. Ladies first, as per usual. Leanna Moore."

Leanna stands up. She looks pale. Maybe she's worried about the secrets she might reveal. As she walks in, I catch a glimpse of Erudite, making a circle. In the center sits my mother, holding a clipboard. I suppose it's full of questions.

As Connor closes the door behind him, I glance at the two Candor.

"I think we can resist this one," Robert says, nudging me. "I mean, c'mon, it's been done before!"

"No it hasn't." I reply, looking at the other tributes. "Right?"

"Tris Prior," says Jenny in a sing-song voice. "Man, I'm loving her more each second."

Luke glances at Jacob who's silent.

Then he nods. "Tris Prior," He says.

I notice something's off. Jacob, as a Candor and himself, is never quiet. There's something that Luke hasn't told me or has lied to me. I cough nervously, so all the attention is on me.

"Luke…what really happened after?" I ask.

Jenny gives me a hard look. "Emma, don't push it. Jacob's still upset." She says.

"No." I say, looking Luke in the eye. He avoids my attempt at eye contact. "There's something he's not telling me. Jenny, be honest, do you think a Candor could be quiet forever unless something is wrong?"

"Yes." Jenny replies. "He doesn't have to be Candor. I know I'm barely what I used to be."

"It's a habit." I argue, turning to her. "You can't break a habit easily. Especially if you're Candor. You learn to speak your mind."

"Emma, clam down —" Robert starts.

Jenny crosses her arms, "Habits _can_ be broken. Look at me! I'm not Amity, I told you. I've changed. And so has Leanna and —"

"But Candor's can't be changed as easily!" I say. I'm shouting now.

"Emma, please!" Robert says.

Jenny and I argue, our voices getting louder and louder until the door from the testing room finally opens. Connor, his face red, stomps out. He glares at each and every one of us. I notice when his eyes pass over Jacob, Jacob winces.

"Shut up." Connor says, his voice eerily calm. "Or soon you won't have a voice."

He slams the door just as I give Jenny a hard look.

"Just stop!" Jacob says, as Jenny starts to open her mouth. She closes it immediately. He buries his face in his arms. His voice comes out muffled as he says, "I didn't want you knowing what happened because…because it would just make everything worse for everyone. I know that you are going to fight if I told you."

Jenny's mouth drops open as she turns to me, "Oh my gosh, Emma, I didn't know. I'm really sorry we argued."

"It's fine," I say, waving her off. I feel the pride of being right, although I know it's wrong. I shouldn't feel pride for what I have just done. I turn to Luke, glaring at him. "Why don't you tell us? Jacob's already admitted to it."

Jacob gives him a sad look as he buries his face in his arms. I think I see tears.

"After what happened, Connor visited after dinner." Luke says. "He heard us talking about Tris Prior. He warned us to never talk about her again. That was fine, we knew that. But what came for Jacob was worse. Connor completely lashed out at him: his anger, everything. He told him that if he ever had to have a Nose stick up for him ever again, he soon…" He shudders. "He soon would be nothing but a dead tribute who jumped off and fell into the Chasm."

We are all silent. I see the Abnegation whisper frantically to each other.

"That…" I bite my lip from saying anything bad. "You know what? There's really no point on what they do to us. We can talk about Tris Prior as much as we want. They're already sending us to our death anyways. And Jake?"

Jacob looks up, surprised.

"If Connor ever bothers you, he'll have to get through _me_ first."

"And me," pipes Jenny.

"Me." Robert nods.

Luke snorts, "Hey, what am I? The class clown? Don't forget me!"

"Don't _ever_ lie to us again." I warn Luke. "Or Connor won't be the only body in the Chasm."

It takes a while to sink in that I'm only joking, and then everyone's laughing again. It's like at lunch, and at breakfast. We are still people and we can still laugh. It doesn't matter what people think we are. They think we aren't human, we'll show that we are. We're even more humane than some of them.

I barely realize that people are going in and out. It's only when Jenny returns did I realize that I was so caught up in talking with Robert. After Amity, it's Dauntless. Since there aren't any Dauntless, it's Erudite. And as usual, it's ladies first.

"Emilia Wilson," calls Connor.

Jenny wishes me good luck, saying she's sure I'll do just as terribly as her. I know she's still under the truth serum because of the way she's seems to be talking as if she's drunk, so I forgive her.

When I enter, I sit in the chair in front of my mother. Connor closes the door behind us. Before I even realize it, I feel a sharp pain in my neck and then, nothing. I suddenly realize: that was the truth serum, and I'm aware.

"These are just simple questions that we ask each tribute," My mother says. "All your answers stay in this room, unless of course, you decide to share it."

"First question," She starts, "what is your name?"

"Emma Wilson," I say automatically.

I'm aware, but it's just so easy to say the truth. I have to pace myself.

"Your _full_ name." My mother says impatiently.

I can't help myself and so I say, "Well technically, that's what everyone calls me because everyone knows Emilia is such a ridiculous name. Oh, and why are you asking me these silly questions? You know my name."

Then, I cover my mouth.

I see Connor in the corner trying not to laugh. Even some Erudite look like they are trying not to laugh. I smile at them, trying to pretend to be as drunk as I saw Jenny. The speaking was the truth serum; the smiling was all me. I, just to be annoying, wave to everyone, especially to my mother and in her face.

"Name," My mother repeats. "Now."

"Emilia Matthews," I say.

_Pace yourself_, I remind myself. _Don't speak before you think it through_.

But it's so hard. Honesty is so easy to be lost in.

My mother then asks me my faction of birth, age and some other questions that she should already know. I'm fine with those. I speed through them like they're nothing. I know I should pace myself but these questions really aren't personal. Then, she says something and it hits home.

"What are your…parents' name." Her voice trails off near the end.

"Elizabella Wilson," I say. I'm pacing myself, I know, but just to make fun of her, I say it wrong. It's not fair. She's torturing me because I'm Divergent. I'm still human. "And some other dude."

"Elizabeth," corrects an Erudite from the corner.

I see Connor narrowing his eyes at me as I avert his eyes. I don't want him to see that deep down, I am awake. My mother gets up and hands the clipboard to another Erudite.

"Pete, take over, I give up." I hear her say as she leaves the room. She sounds like she's about to break in my ears, but in other people's ears, people that don't know her as well as me, it just sounds like she's frustrated.

Pete continues asking me questions, and I answer them politely. I'm not about to make fun of someone I barely know. At least, not yet. If he turns out to be as much as a Nose as my mother is, then I might make fun of him. As of now, he seems nicer than any Erudite, other than Robert, that I've met.

After he's finished, I exit the room, ready to speak to Jenny. After Connor calls Robert, he suddenly drags me from the back and into the elevator. As he presses the lobby button he pushes me against the elevator wall. He looks me in the eye and says three words that make my blood run cold.

"You were awake."


	11. Chapter 10: Destruction to Society

I'm ready to lie, to pretend to be drunk. Anything but let Connor know the dark truth. As the elevator doors open, revealing the Erudite level, I stumble onto the couch, and pretend to start dozing off. It's not the best idea, but it's all I've got.

"Emma," Connor grabs my arm, jerking me up until my face is visible. Letting go of my arm he scowls, "Don't pretend to not understand anything I'm saying. I know you know you were awake. That attitude of yours better change if you don't want people finding out exactly how strong you are."

"Strong?" I repeat, bewildered. "I'm not strong Connor. If I was, do you think I would be here?"

Connor wrinkles his nose at me. "You have strong will, Emma. It takes strong will to manipulate serums and simulations." He says. "I'm even sure you are the strongest Divergent out of the group. No one knows that."

"Wait…what?" I say, uncomprehending. "How am I the strongest?"

"You have the most factions." Connor replies, smiling weakly. He joins me on the couch. "Everyone else only has two. I checked." I look at him, surprised. "And no one knows about your three factions except me and the Stiff."

"Leanna," I correct. Then, confused, I ask, "How? My results —"

Connor rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Your Stiff friend saved you from lots of trouble with the Erudite." He shrugs. "She must have forgotten about me standing there. The first thing she did when you got the result, when you were still in simulation, she deleted one of your results. In the system, it says you've only got Abnegation and Erudite."

No wonder my mother hates me so much and not just because I'm Divergent. I got two factions and the one of them is the faction she hates so much. I'm more surprised that Connor knew about Leanna removing my faction and didn't say anything.

"If you knew…why didn't you tell my mother?" I ask, stunned. "I mean…"

"You aren't a test subject," Connor says. "I'm not going to let them do that to you."

For a moment, I'm speechless. He _cares_? The same guy that turned me in cares about my wellbeing? That's the most surprising thing I have ever heard in my life. I don't even believe it.

"It's not up to you what happens to me," I mumble. "But it's nice knowing you care."

Connor turns red before regaining his "cool".

"Look, the Games are fun, okay? If they took out a tribute, that would suck. I just wanted to make sure you weren't taken out for something as silly and boring as an experiment." He says, trying to cover up what he has said before. But I will always remember.

"Sure," I say, smiling a bit. "You know what, Connor? I'm really starting to like you. You're cool."

Connor sends a smirk my way. "Of course I'm cool. I'm Dauntless."

"That's not what makes you cool," I reply, rolling my eyes. Once a Dauntless, always a Dauntless. He's so dumb in a way, it makes me almost want to laugh. I grin a bit at him before a sit up straight, a few thoughts in my mind. "After what you just did, don't you think people would have questions for me?"

"Not if they're all confused by their surroundings." He says, nudging me. "The only person who might have seen you get dragged away would be Robert, that is if he was looking at all."

I look at my hands, distracting myself from Connor. I want to open up to him, to ask him questions and tell him how I really feel. I'm beginning to trust him a little bit. After all, he saved me. He saved me from being a test subject, and even didn't rat out on Leanna. He's gaining my trust, and I'm sure he trusts me, but I don't trust him. It's just not right.

"Connor, I need to ask you something." I suddenly blurt, surprised by my own actions. Even he looks surprised before nodding. "It's about my mother." I clench my fist, hiding it inside my shirt. "I don't get it. Why does she hate me so much? I'm still a human, I'm still her daughter —"

I stop when I see Connor shaking his head.

"Yes, you are a _human_." Connor replies. "I think we all clearly see that. You're her daughter, true again but does she want you to still be known that way? Of course not. It'll ruin her reputation and her reputation as our leader." He shrugs. "She doesn't hate you Emma, I'm sure of that."

I try holding back my tears. Reputation before child. Faction before blood. That's how our society works, doesn't it? I never realized how truly messed up our society is until now. We don't even act humane, I realize. Killing other people of our kind just because they're different. Different. Unique. That should be good, shouldn't it be? But not here. Here, different is dangerous.

Different is a big thing. You have to try and fit in. No, I take that back. You _have_ to fit in. There is no other choice. I'm starting to realize that too: we never had a real choice. They were illusions. Sure, we got to choose our faction as long as you weren't Divergent but being Divergent wasn't _my_ choice. It wasn't a choice at all. No matter what faction you choose, you would either be loved or hated by your birth faction and no matter what, you would be watched. You would be forced behind the fence, forced to do things to keep you in line so you were the same as everyone else.

The uniqueness of a human being was taken away.

"Yeah," I mumble, choking back a sob. "She doesn't hate me. Just wants me dead, that's all."

Connor reaches his hand out for a moment before taking it back, looking at me uncertainly. I wish he had extended his help because I definitely needed it. I don't like looking weak, but sometimes I wish I could and just have someone there; holding me and telling me everything would be okay.

All Connor does is sit there uneasily, watching me hold back my tears. He looks uncertain about what he should do. Taking a shaky breath he says, "If you need any help, Emma, I'll be on the Dauntless floor. There's a password for unused floors, and it's usually the same for all unused floors."

He glances around uneasily and whispers, so I can barely hear, "The password is _Mark_." He stands up and walks towards the elevator. I watch as he presses the down button. Briefly, he looks back and says, "Don't try it on the other two floors. It won't work. They'll know you know, and know that you've tried."

Giving me a stiff nod, he steps into the elevator as the doors close behind him.

* * *

Minutes, even hours pass as I just sit there, staring at the elevator. My eyes are red from crying. In the end, I did have to just let everything out. I'm lying down on the couch, head tilted so I can see the elevator doors. No one has come up yet. My stomach is growling, so it must be dinner.

When the doors open, I expect Robert or Connor, so I jump up. I'm surprised to see a nervous Leanna stepping out of the elevator with something in her hands. She hands me some bread and I quickly nibble on it, realizing how famished I really am. Leanna sits beside me, watching as I finish the bread.

"Emma, can we talk?" She mumbles quietly.

I nod, hoping she can't see my red eyes. I don't want to show weakness, especially not in front of Leanna. I know how tough she can get — I've seen it before. I don't even know if I can trust her anymore, but still, this is the woman who protected me from my mother. From my faction.

"I'm sorry…sorry about the day we arrived." She says, biting her lower lip nervously. "I know I wasn't the nicest, and I apologize. I just…don't know what had gotten into me. I was really rude and that was uncalled for. I'm sorry. I hope you accept my apology, and if you don't…well I understand."

To me, Leanna is basically asking for forgiveness for something she didn't do. The Games change everyone; that I know. And maybe she was a bit rude, but she saved me, and the last thing she should be asking for is my forgiveness. Now that I know what she did, it makes me wonder if true Abnegation are like this. Selfless to the point that they no longer even protect themselves from harm.

"I should be asking you to forgive me," I say, not meeting her eyes. "I should have been more appreciative towards you for, you know, taking away one of my factions I received."

Leanna's eyes widen. "How did you know? Did your mother tell you?"

"No," I reply, looking up at her straight in the eyes. I want to show her that what I'm about to say is important. That it means a lot to me what she did. "Connor saw you. He didn't turn you in though…but either way, Leanna, I really, really appreciate what you did for me. It saved me from lots of experiments and tests they would have performed on me."

The Abnegation just shrugs and smiles. "I'm glad I could do something useful," She replies. "I was just really upset I couldn't take your place. I caused you the trouble and I just couldn't find a way to mend it."

I'm quiet for a moment before asking, "Leanna, do you know the name Tris Prior? Ring a bell?"

Leanna's face immediately goes slack before she looks around us anxiously before murmuring into my ear, "She was born into Abnegation." She then leans back, pretending to smooth down her shirt.

"She was one of the first in many years to transfer back then," Leanna says, continuing to speak in a low voice and barely moving her lips. She leans into the couch, sinking deeper. "Divergent of course, but strong. Three factions. I can't recall which three exactly, but I know she had three.

"We still talk about her in Abnegation," Leanna continues. "It's forbidden to speak about her anywhere, but we still do, selfishly. She was one of us and she's one of the heroes in our eyes. She saved most of our Abnegation members from death and from that blasted Erudite leader." She snorts slightly. "I know most of our Abnegation born members wouldn't be here if she hadn't saved us."

I frown slightly.

"Wait…what happened?" I ask, trying to keep my voice low and trying to not move my lips, but it's hard. "What does an Erudite leader have to do with anything at all?"

Leanna gives me a dry smile. "Before Erudite become the government of the factions, Abnegation had the government running smoothly. It's a common belief in Abnegation that Erudite wanted to overthrow the Abnegation government. Of course the Erudite still deny that today, but I'm pretty sure too that it was what they wanted to do. They haven't changed much." She rolls her eyes. "So of course, the most 'logical' thing was to attack Abnegation. Get rid of them and wipe them out."

I'm silent. I have nothing to say. That is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard. Erudite can't have been that mean or selfish could they? They are the government now which means they must have done something good.

But then I remember it: Erudite will do anything, at any cost, to get their knowledge and do certain things. Like the Games for instance. Not everyone could have agreed. Aren't Amity the kind? The peaceful? They never would have allowed it. I doubt Candor would have allowed it either. The truth is what they put their faith in, and the truth about what makes someone Divergent, or just Divergent overall would be something they would like to hear. The truth of why the Erudite are really destroying and killing off Divergent. Dauntless can't have allowed it. Maybe the leaders would, but no one else. Bravery can't be killing. Abnegation never would have allowed it. They believe in acts of selflessness, and killing others is not selfless. It's selfish. The fight of survival.

Erudite must have forced the Games themselves after they took the government as their own. I know believing things from the point of view of another Abnegation is biased, but now looking at it myself, I almost believe it. I do. I'm even almost sure that whatever was outside the fence, whatever was where I am now, wasn't all that bad at all. The Erudite destroyed it because it was a "threat".

They say they are trying to keep up safe; keep us safe from the dangers that lurk in our society. The real danger isn't the society. The real danger is them. If they continue killing off our own kind — their own people — they soon will be putting their own society at risk. Then, it will be a fight of survival, and it won't be just for Divergent. It'll be for everyone.

Now I realize something else: the Erudite aren't as wise as they are supposed to be. If they were, they would stop the Games. If they wanted their society to be safe, they would stop the Games. But they won't because they know they are able to control their own people at any time needed and they can force things upon people without them rebelling. They can't resist simulations. We can. That's what makes us dangerous, and a threat to _them_. Not to our society.

"They're scared of us," I say slowly, looking Leanna in the eye. "We aren't a threat to society. We're a threat to them. They can't control us. The difference makes us dangerous."

Leanna gives me a strange look. "Different is dangerous," she repeats. "In Abnegation, we all have to be the same. Stiff and plain." She chuckles a bit. "Sometimes, people aren't lying when they call us 'Stiff'. We really are sometimes. I almost lost that self-preservation. Now given the ability to protect myself…it's really changed a lot."

Another thought dawns on me.

"Maybe that's it, then." I point out. "The _factions_ are the real threat to our society. They split us and then make us try and fit in. We lose certain virtues as we gain some. Like…"

I rack my brain for an answer. "The Erudite are intelligent, they really are. They aren't wise though. They are in vain too, as much as I hate to admit it. And like as you said, Abnegation are selfless but don't have that self-preservation."

While Leanna nods, I finally understand.

The factions will be the destruction to our society. Not Divergent.


	12. Chapter 11: The Records

The next half, and plus the next day will be full of Erudite training. We must choose a topic and then study as hard as we can before we are given a test. It's really silly because that will never help us in the Games, but then again, they just want to research us. Roberts pointed out to me that if someone studied the "art" of manipulation, they could do well in the Games too.

We are in the library that was in another room in the lobby. There are so many rooms in the building; it's so easy to get lost. Robert nudges me and points at a book. It reads "History of the Factions". We don't have this book in our normal library. I would know because ever since my father's death I have been looking for books that have to do with the history. I want to know what happened before.

There are two books on the shelf.

"What do you think?" Robert asks, grinning a bit. "We could be reading buddies."

I shrug. I need to read books like this anyways. "Yeah, sure." I say. "We might as well. We're the only two Erudite tributes here." I snatch the book from the bookshelf as Robert takes the other one.

"Hey, look at this!" Robert gasps, pointing at the date the book was published.

I look at the date. It's recent. Maybe a year back or two. That means it must cover some history parts that other books haven't covered. When we go up to Connor and my mother to tell them the subject we are doing our exam on, my mother immediately shakes her head the minute she sees us.

"Each tribute must study something different from one another," she says. "Only one of you may study the history of the factions." She looks like she's about to take my book when Robert hands her his book.

Giving me a quick glance he says, "I'll look for another book" before heading off. My mother looks angry and gives Connor an angry look before stuffing the other book into his hands. He, being himself, just looks proud. She stalks off, hurrying through scared-looking tributes.

"Man, she really doesn't like you studying the history, does she?" Robert says as I rejoin him looking for another book having do to with faction history. He glances back at Connor who just stands there, flipping through the book, whistling. "That Connor dude is kind of creepy."

I glance at Connor who seems to actually be reading the book. He loves reading, doesn't he? "Yeah," I mutter. "Well it's kind of him. Don't you feel a little more protected with a Dauntless watching over you?"

Robert gives me a look of alarm and I sneak a look over my shoulder, expecting Connor to be behind me but instead I still see him reading. I turn back to Robert who just shakes his head, "No. Of course not. I mean, sometimes, but definitely not _him_."

I sneak another look at Connor who catches my eye this time and winks back. I look back at Robert who seems stunned as he pulls a book out. He doesn't even say anything before showing me the cover.

"'Faction Leaders'," I read quietly. "That sounds…interesting."

"Your mother is in it." Robert points out, flipping through the pages and stopping at one. I catch a glimpse of a blond woman. "Wow…she looks different…like…"

"Older." I state, then I frown, looking closer. "Wow. It sure looks like her. But I don't think that's her."

Robert tilts his head. "Is this _you_ in…fifty years? Seems awful lot like it."

"No!" I snap. "Plus I'll be dead in fifty years."

He just shrugs before glancing back at the page. The name of the leader is boldly written on the page. I try pronouncing the name, mouthing it over and over. Robert looks like he's skimming through the reading. I try skim reading and am so drawn into the book that I don't notice Robert poking me.

"Emma!" He says in a hushed whisper. "You have to see this. Now."

I look over, scowling, annoyed, but when I see what he holds, I stop scowling. He's holding a note that seems handwritten. I recognize the handwriting. It's my mother's handwriting.

"Who is that?" I ask, pointing at the woman. "It's so hard pronouncing her name. Geez, who has such a hard name?"

Robert looks surprised. "It's actually quite easy," He says. "Jeanine Matthews. She was the Erudite leader murdered during the first Divergence War. Seriously though, her resemblance with your mother is creepy."

I look closer at her picture. She's the woman that hung with the Erudite leaders that most people said I resembled. I frown and as I'm about to say something, turning back to Robert, I see him crumpling something up. The note. I give him a strange look and he just shrugs before he makes his way to Connor.

I look over at a table of initiates bent over their books. I decide to choose a nice comfy spot near the window. It feels like it's been so long since I've opened a book. Taking a deep breath, I flip to the first page. It explains something called the "Purity War". That's a strange name.

I don't notice Robert sitting in front of me as he starts reading his book. Only when I see him reaching for a pencil in the pencil container, I look up. He mumbles to himself as he sticks a sticky onto the book, writing his own special note. I try peering over to see what he has written, but he flips to the next page.

I'm not sure who he's reading about because he just flipped the page, but reading upside down, I can make out that it's that leader: Jeanine Matthews. What's so interesting about her? She's not the first leader in the book, so why is Robert starting with her?

He doesn't notice me watching as he makes more and more notes. I watch him filling up the page with notes. When he catches me looking, I look back at my book, continuing reading about the Purity War, but it's no longer interesting. I keep sneaking glances at Robert, but now he's wary of me watching.

"What are you doing?" I finally ask. It's getting really annoying when every second all you hear is the scribbling sound of a pencil. "What's with all the sticky papers? Are you _trying _to vandalize the book?" As much as I like dislike the Games, books are something I love.

Robert shakes his head, "No, of course not! I would never do something as — never mind that. I'm just making small notes. This Tris Prior person is repetitively mentioned in this one biography…why is that? It's like she's mentioned even more than Jeanine herself."

He flips the book over so I can read it. Uncertainly, I read Robert's notes. His handwriting is super neat. Even my handwriting isn't that neat. The only person I can think of having neater handwriting than him is my mother, and her handwriting is really, really pretty.

"They're just summaries of the paragraphs," Robert explains, flushing pink. "So that's why they're under each paragraph."

I nod as I read one of the sticky notes. _Death serum failed to work properly on Tris Prior…switched…paralytic serum…_ This woman tried to kill this Tris person? My mouth falls open. I'm shocked. I never knew before the war, that there was conflict like this. There must have been. Why else would everything have ended up like this?

_Jeanine surprised by Tris' three factions, Dauntless, Erudite and Abnegation…one of the most powerful Divergent…able to resist truth serums… _For a moment, I'm just stunned. I can't even speak. She seems to be a copy of me. I have the exact same three factions, I may be the most powerful Divergent then, and _I_ am able to resist truth serums.

I need to find out more about her. Who is she really?

"Hey…Robert…" I say, my mouth dry. "Do you think we have records on every single person that ever existed?"

Robert purses his lips. "Yeah, I think so." He replies. "My mother used to file the records. We used to have a written book copy, but I think now we just store them in computers and back them up several times. Why?"

I don't answer him, and instead rush up to the librarian. He smiles at me.

"Do you have the official records of everyone living in the factions?" I ask breathlessly. If they have things here that normal libraries don't have, they must have the records too. "If so, could I please see it?"

"My apologies, but that is restricted from tributes." He says.

I see Connor watching me, so instead of threatening the man, I just walk back to Robert who seems mildly surprised. I frown, sitting back into the chair. Robert glances at Connor who seems to be watching us closely.

"Failed?" He asks.

We are so close now that he doesn't even have to ask what happened. He just simply knows. The training has brought us a lot closer. I nod, biting my lower lip, looking over at the librarian, giving him the evil eye. He looks away.

"I don't understand why _we_ can't research the records!" I scowl. "I mean, is it really that big of a deal?"

Robert nudges me. "Your mother didn't even want you researching the history. Think about it. Something in there must be a big deal, something that they want to keep hidden from us."

He continues flipping through the book. I catch a glimpse of my mother and Jeanine before he starts from the beginning. I clear my throat uncertainly. "Robert…is Jeanine a big deal or something? Why did you start with her?"

Robert flushes pink again and, his voice low, says, "This Tris Prior person really interests me. When they mentioned her, I remembered something. I asked my mother when I was younger about a Beatrice Prior once because of some Erudite rumours. My mother told me I could never again talk about her or I would be punished. Then I saw Jeanine Matthew's biography mentioned Tris…" He gives me a shy smile. "I kind of thought, why not?"

He points at the sticky notes, "Those are all summaries about the parts of Tris. She's mentioned a lot. Since she was a big thing in the war, she might be in your history book."

I look down at the history book. I'm only halfway through the Purity War and still no Tris Prior has been mentioned. "I suppose," I say slowly. "But she murdered an Erudite leader… Do I really want to read about her? Isn't Jeanine the leader she murdered? The one Luke mentioned?"

I see Robert flipping through pages as he shoves the book in my face, pointing at the last sticky. I back up a bit and squint, reading the tiny words that were squished in. _Tris Prior, witness, watched as Jeanine Matthews was murdered by Tori Wu (deceased)._

"The rumours are falsely accused," Robert snaps. "Tris Prior did _not_ kill that leader. That Tori person did. Either the rumours were started by those no-good, blabber mouth Candor or the Erudite."

I stare at him, uncomprehending. "Why would Erudite start falsely accused rumours?" I snap. "Who are you supporting here? The person who killed our leader?"

"I fully support Tris Prior. The Erudite leaders, every single one, are vicious." Robert replies, his voice cold. "They are sending _us_ to our death, Emma! Can't you think straight for a minute? Besides, the Erudite would falsely accuse someone so that they had a reason to take over the government. Or at least a war would rage, and they could take control. All it would make them seem would be that they were innocent targets and the heroes that brought the faction system back up."

I'm silent and Robert takes that moment to leave. He's furious, and I understand why. While part of me finds his argument is invalid, the other half understands. The Erudite are trying to kill us. After all, who knows what the Erudite were trying to do? People don't just go around killing each other. It's not natural.

All I try to do is read my book quietly. I have about a day to read and then exactly after noon, for five hours, I will be taking a test on what I have researched. It's a lot of work to do, but I was born Erudite. It's nothing to me, although it may be hard for some of the other factions.

I, like Robert, find some sticky notes and stick the parts where Tris is mentioned. I write tiny notes about what happens. She is important in this war. She was the reason the second war happened and the voice of the first war. The Divergence Wars were both fatal to the faction community. The first one resulted in the faction system perishing, and the second resulted in what we have now: the faction system with the Games. My mother is the second leader of Erudite since the War.

"Yo, Emma," I hear a voice whisper.

I turn to see Jenny clutching her book, looking around us nervously. She scoots in the empty seat in front of me and says, "You know how late it is? I think we're breaking the rules."

"We're still in the building," I say. "It's not against the rules."

Jenny shudders slightly before whispering back, "I'm going to go, Emma. You wanna come along with me? If I go, you'll be the last one left…and you know, I won't leave you behind this time." She smiles a bit.

I shake my head. This book is too interesting. Call me a bookworm, but I can't resist not knowing the ending. I only have a few more pages to go after all. It's not such a big deal. A few pages, and I'll be zipping out of the library like there's no tomorrow. A few more pages can't hurt, can it?

"Alright then." Jenny murmurs. "See you later, Emma."

Then before I even realize it, she's gone.

* * *

Minutes pass, and I only have two pages left before I finish the book. It's sometime early in the morning. I only realize it when I hear the door to the library creak open. Jumping up, I look around, my eyes wide.

When the figure approaches me, I'm not even surprised to see that it's Connor. We've been talking so often, it's no surprise. He throws a large book on the desk as I wince when it makes a loud sound at collision. I look at the cover and it reads "Official Records of Chicago".

"Chicago?" I repeat. "Like…where we live?" I read it in the book, but it's still hard to believe.

"You were asking that Nose," He points to where the librarian was. "Thought I might give you a hand. I have the ability to get this and you don't. You should be sleeping you know."

I smirk, "I'm not in trouble yet."

"The Erudite don't care how late you stay up researching." Connor replies, wrinkling his nose. "Think about it. They do it like every single day. If you do it, it actually earns you some points. I was on duty, checking which tributes were asleep. It's quite stupid actually. I like my sleep."

I try ignoring the last part as I look through the table of contents. Every single person that has ever existed is listed on the book. I look at Connor and mutter, "Thanks." I clear my throat and ask, "When do you need this back?"

"Keep it," Connor says. "Might as well. You'll end up dying in the Games, and then I'll get it back. How's that?"

I glare at him and he smiles back innocently. His eyes don't match the way he acts right now. In fact, I can't tell what his eyes are saying. I just mutter thanks again before finishing off "History of the Factions".

"I'll be up…in my room if you need any more help, Emma." He flashes another smirk before walking away.

My hands are shaking as I reach forward, flipping to the table of contents. Every single name — before the second Divergence War ended — is in here. There is so much information, that I can barely believe it. This was all hidden from me, but now I have it. In my hands.

Where should I start?

My eyes focus on one spot in the book.

Where else would I start?

From the very beginning of the first Divergence War.


End file.
